Average Lawyer Salary in Malaysia for 2025
In this article, we will look at the average Lawyer salary for 2025 in Malaysia and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!
The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.
All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Malaysian ringgit. To keep things simple, we are using the MYR currency code instead of the currency symbol RM.
How Much Does a Lawyer Make in Malaysia?
A Lawyer working in Malaysia will typically earn around 151,800 MYR per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 80,920 MYR to the highest average salary of 227,600 MYR.
These are average salaries for a Lawyer in Malaysia and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Lawyer to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.
Lawyer salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.
Distribution of Lawyer Salaries in Malaysia
So we've looked at the average salaries a Lawyer will earn in Malaysia. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.
Salary ranges
We already know that a Lawyer can earn between 80,920 MYR and 227,600 MYR on average in Malaysia. This is known as the range in statistics.
The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.
Median salary
The median salary for a Lawyer in Malaysia is 138,800 MYR. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.
What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 138,800 MYR, and 50% of the population earn more than 138,800 MYR.
If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.
If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).
Percentiles
Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.
For the average Lawyer salary in Malaysia, 25% of the population are earning less than 101,020 MYR while 75% of the population earn more than 101,020 MYR.
75% of the population earn less than 172,400 MYR, and 25% of the population earn more than 172,400 MYR.
Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.
The difference between a median and an average salary
The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.
- If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
- If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
- If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.
Lawyer Salary by Experience Level in Malaysia
The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.
We have researched the average Lawyer salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.
- 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Lawyer in Malaysia that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 92,400 MYR.
- 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Lawyer salary would increase to 112,560 MYR.
- 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Lawyer, the average salary would be 159,100 MYR.
- 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 185,100 MYR.
- 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Lawyer with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 205,700 MYR.
- 20+ Years Experience. For a Lawyer with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 215,100 MYR.
Average Salary by Experience Chart
| 0-2 Years | - | 92,400 MYR |
| 2-5 Years | +23% | 112,560 MYR |
| 5-10 Years | +42% | 159,100 MYR |
| 10-15 Years | +17% | 185,100 MYR |
| 15-20 Years | +10% | 205,700 MYR |
| 20+ Years | +6% | 215,100 MYR |
Lawyer Salary by Education Level in Malaysia
As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?
In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.
The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.
In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Lawyer in Malaysia based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.
- Bachelor's Degree. A Lawyer in Malaysia with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 100,580 MYR.
- Master's Degree. A Lawyer in Malaysia with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 159,400 MYR.
- PhD. A Lawyer in Malaysia with a phd education can earn an average salary of 207,800 MYR.
Average Salary by Education Chart
| Bachelor's Degree | - | 100,580 MYR |
| Master's Degree | +59% | 159,400 MYR |
| PhD | +30% | 207,800 MYR |
How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?
The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Malaysia is around 32,900 to 98,800 MYR and takes two years to complete.
As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.
It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.
Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.
Lawyer Salary Compared by Gender
In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.
In Malaysia, a male lawyer will earn an average of 154,700 MYR, while a female lawyer will earn around 142,300 MYR.
This means that a male lawyer earns approximately 9% more than a female lawyer for performing the same job.
Average Salary by Gender Chart in Malaysia
| Male | - | 154,700 MYR |
| Female | -9% | 142,300 MYR |
Lawyer Average Pay Raise in Malaysia
In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.
From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Lawyer in Malaysia is around 13% every 17 months.
The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Malaysia is around 9% every 17 months.
In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.
To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:
Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12
So for this example, it would be:
Annual Increase = ( 13 ÷ 17 ) × 12 = 9%
What this means is that a Lawyer in Malaysia can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 9% every 12 months.
Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Malaysia for 2025
In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Malaysia.
You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.
| Banking | - | 4% |
| Energy | - | 8% |
| Information Technology | - | 3% |
| Healthcare | - | 7% |
| Travel | - | 2% |
| Construction | - | 6% |
| Education | - | 1% |
Lawyer Bonus and Incentive Rates in Malaysia
Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.
Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.
A Lawyer is a high bonus based job, with 78% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.
22% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.
For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 6% to 8%.
| Received Bonus | - | 78% |
| No Bonus | - | 22% |
What are the Types of Bonus?
There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:
- Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
- Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
- Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
- Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.
Government vs Private Sector Salaries
Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.
Public sector employees in Malaysia earn approximately 11% more than private sector employees in the same role.
| Public Sector | - | 81,960 MYR |
| Private Sector | -11% | 73,820 MYR |
Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Lawyer
In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Lawyer in Malaysia.
Salary Comparison by City
If you want to compare salaries with different cities in Malaysia, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.
| City | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Ampang | 142,300 MYR |
| Ipoh | 168,100 MYR |
| Johor Bahru | 154,700 MYR |
| Klang | 142,300 MYR |
| Kota Kinabalu | 158,700 MYR |
| Kuala Lumpur | 163,800 MYR |
| Kuching | 152,000 MYR |
| Petaling Jaya | 167,100 MYR |
| Shah Alam | 161,600 MYR |
| Subang Jaya | 142,300 MYR |
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