Malaysians aged 15 and above spend an average of 5 hours and 12 minutes each day on unpaid domestic and care work, with women continuing to shoulder a significantly larger share of household responsibilities, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
The findings were released in DOSM’s Special Release: Time Spent on Unpaid Domestic and Care Work in Malaysia 2025, based on the National Household Indicators Survey (NHIS) 2025, providing official data to support policymaking on work-life balance, gender equality and social development.
Overall, unpaid domestic and care work accounts for 21.7% of Malaysians’ daily time, underscoring the substantial contribution of unpaid labour to households and communities.
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the data highlights the often-overlooked economic and social value of unpaid work while providing an evidence base for future policies aimed at promoting more equitable sharing of caregiving responsibilities.
The survey found only a slight difference between urban and rural populations. Rural residents spend an average of 5 hours and 13 minutes daily on unpaid work, representing 21.7% of their time, compared with 5 hours and 10 minutes or 21.5% among urban residents.
By age group, individuals aged 45 to 54 years devote the most time to unpaid domestic and care work, averaging 5 hours and 43 minutes daily or 23.8% of their time. This is followed by those aged 25 to 44 years, who spend 5 hours and 35 minutes or 23.3% of their day on such activities.
In contrast, young people aged 15 to 24 years spend the least time on unpaid work at 3 hours and 53 minutes, equivalent to 16.2% of their daily time.
Malaysian citizens also spend more time on unpaid domestic and care work than non-citizens, averaging 21.8% of their day compared with 19.5% for non-citizens.
Across ethnic groups, respondents classified under the Others category recorded the highest share of unpaid work at 23.7%, followed by Malays at 22.6%, while the Chinese community recorded the lowest at 20.5%.
The survey further showed that persons without disabilities spend 5 hours and 12 minutes daily on unpaid work, compared with 2 hours and 59 minutes among persons with disabilities, highlighting the importance of inclusive support systems for caregiving and household responsibilities.
Internationally, Malaysia records higher participation in unpaid domestic and care work than the average among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
Malaysian women spend 25.5% of their daily time, or approximately 6 hours and 7 minutes, on unpaid domestic and care work, compared with around 17% among women in OECD countries.
Meanwhile, Malaysian men spend 18.1% of their day on such activities, exceeding the OECD average of approximately 9% to 11%.
Despite the relatively higher participation by Malaysian men, DOSM noted that a significant gender gap remains, with women continuing to bear a disproportionate share of unpaid household and caregiving responsibilities.
The department said the findings provide an important benchmark for policymakers in designing initiatives that support work-life balance, strengthen caregiving policies and promote greater gender equality in both households and the labour market.
