Veterinarian salary in Malaysia
What the job is: Veterinarians diagnose, prevent and treat diseases, injuries and dysfunctions of animals. ILO ISCO-08, 2250 Veterinarians
- Veterinary officer (Pegawai Veterinar, GV9): RM2,910 basic a month (veterinary degree and registration as a vet).
- With fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur: RM3,810 a month at GV9.
- Assistant veterinary officer (G5): RM1,731 basic, RM2,541 with allowances.
- Pay scale: grade 9 runs from RM2,250 to RM11,110, rising RM225 a year.
What a new veterinarian earns
A veterinarian at GV9 starts on RM2,910 basic, plus RM900 in fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur: RM3,810 a month.
Grade GV9, from the SPA service scheme and the JPA allowance circular. The starting point depends on the qualification.
| Qualification or pay item | Grade GV9 | RM a month |
|---|---|---|
| Veterinary degree and registration as a vet | Starting basic | 2,910 |
| Fixed allowances, Kawasan A | Housing (ITP) RM300, public service (ITKA) RM300, cost of living (BISH) RM300 | 900 |
| Total fixed pay at the start, veterinary degree and registration as a vet | Basic plus fixed allowances, Kawasan A | 3,810 |
Sources: SPA scheme page for grade GV9; JPA Pekeliling Perkhidmatan 1/2024, Lampiran E. BISH is lower outside Kawasan A. Totals computed by Foundific.
- A year at the starting rate is RM3,810 × 12 = RM45,720.
- The allowances counted here are the fixed ones in the JPA circular. Any allowance tied to a particular post is not included.
- A veterinary officer must be registered under section 12(1) of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1974.
How to become a veterinarian
Veterinarians enter at G5 and GV9, depending on the qualification.
| Entry level | Qualification | Starting basic, RM | With allowances, RM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assistant veterinary officer (Penolong Pegawai Veterinar, G5) | Veterinary certificate | 1,731 | 2,541 |
| Assistant veterinary officer (Penolong Pegawai Veterinar, G5) | Diploma in veterinary science, or in animal health and livestock farming | 2,055 | 2,865 |
| Veterinary officer (Pegawai Veterinar, GV9) | Veterinary degree and registration as a vet | 2,910 | 3,810 |
Source: SPA scheme pages. Allowances from the JPA circular, Kawasan A: G5 RM810, GV9 RM900. Totals computed by Foundific.
- Every route needs a credit in Bahasa Melayu at SPM or SVM.
How pay grows on the government scale
Grade 9 pay rises RM225 a year, from RM2,250 up to RM11,110. Promotion to a higher grade moves an officer onto a higher range.
Minimum and maximum monthly basic salary for each SSPA grade, 2026.
| Grade | Who | Minimum | Maximum | Yearly increment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Assistant veterinary officer, entry with a diploma | 1,650 | 6,620 | 145 |
| 9 | Veterinary officer, entry with a degree | 2,250 | 11,110 | 225 |
| 10 | Promotion grade | 3,840 | 12,150 | 250 |
| 12 | Promotion grade | 5,530 | 13,540 | 270 |
| 14 | Promotion grade | 6,560 | 15,360 | 320 |
Source: Ministry of Finance, Budget 2026 establishment list, Lampiran A: SSPA salary codes and minimum-maximum salaries (page A-1). Basic salary only.
- With increments alone, at RM225 a year, an officer starting at RM2,910 would need about 36 yearly increments to reach RM11,110.
Pay after 5, 10 and 20 years
Starting at RM2,910 at grade 9, with the RM225 yearly increment and no promotion. The grade maximum, RM11,110, is reached after about 36 years.
| Years in grade | Basic, RM a month | With fixed allowances, RM a month | Fixed pay, RM a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| At the start | 2,910 | 3,810 | 45,720 |
| After 5 years | 4,035 | 4,935 | 59,220 |
| After 10 years | 5,160 | 6,060 | 72,720 |
| After 20 years | 7,410 | 8,310 | 99,720 |
Foundific calculation from the Budget 2026 SSPA scale, with fixed allowances at the Kawasan A rate, which do not rise with increments. Promotion, special payments and allowance changes are not included.
Compared with Malaysian pay overall
A new veterinarian's fixed pay, RM3,810, is above the RM2,940 median for Malaysian citizens. The agriculture industry median, RM1,698, covers workers of all grades and years.
| Figure | Source | RM a month |
|---|---|---|
| New veterinarian, GV9, basic plus fixed allowances, Kuala Lumpur | SPA and JPA, 2026 | 3,810 |
| Median salary, agriculture industry | DOSM, 2024 | 1,698 |
| Median salary, all Malaysian citizens | DOSM, 2025 | 2,940 |
| Median salary, employed degree holders of all ages | DOSM, 2024 | 5,724 |
- The industry median covers all employees in the industry, most of them experienced.
- DOSM figures cover all paid employees and all ages. The government figure is one fixed pay point. Use them to show scale only.
- Compare your own pay with this scale, the DOSM figures and court awards in the Malaysia salary comparison.
Veterinarians outside government
No official source publishes veterinarian pay outside government.
- DOSM publishes salaries by state, sector and skill level, but not by job title.
- Private surveys and job ads use different measures and samples, so their figures are not mixed into the tables here.
Data sources and coverage
Government pay for veterinarians is exact. No official source covers private-sector pay for the job.
| Source | What it gives | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| SPA service schemes G5, GV9 | Starting basic pay by qualification | Strong: official and current |
| Budget 2026, SSPA pay scale | Minimum, maximum and yearly increment for every grade | Strong: official and current |
| JPA SSPA circular, Lampiran E | Fixed allowances by grade and area | Strong: official |
| DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey 2024 and 2025 | Industry and national medians | Weak for one job title |
- A payslip shows basic plus allowances plus any shift, on-call or overtime pay, so it can be higher than the fixed figures here.
Is veterinarian work affected by AI?
The International Labour Organization puts veterinarians in its “Not exposed” group for exposure to generative AI. Its scores cover the job worldwide, so they apply in Malaysia too.
Based on the International Labour Organization's 2025 index, which scores every core task of a job from 0 (AI cannot help) to 1 (AI could do nearly all of it).
AI can do very little of this job. Most tasks are hands-on or face to face.
- Most exposed taskAdvising clients on health, nutrition and feeding, hygiene
- Least exposed taskPerforming surgery, dressing wounds and setting broken bones
- In numbersNone of its 9 main tasks is one AI could do a large part of.
- Not exposed
- Minimal
- Some
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
Scored as ILO group 2250 Veterinarians. Average task score 0.14, higher than 15% of the 427 jobs the ILO scored.
| Factor | Veterinarian |
|---|---|
| 1Exposure levelThe ILO's rating for the whole job, from not exposed up to very high. | Not exposed |
| 2Average task scoreHow much of each core task generative AI could do, averaged. 0 means none, 1 means nearly all. | 0.14 higher than 15% of jobs |
| 3Tasks AI could do much ofTasks scoring 0.5 or more. These are the parts of the job most likely to change. | 0 of 9 |
| 4Hands-on or people tasksTasks scoring under 0.25: physical, in-person or judgement work that AI barely touches. | 9 of 9 |
| 5How even the exposure isEven means AI touches most tasks a little. Uneven means a few tasks are exposed and the rest are not. | Even (0.05) |
| 6Most exposed taskWhere AI tools are likely to show up first. | Advising clients on health, nutrition and feeding, hygiene… 0.22 |
| 7Least exposed taskThe task AI can help with least. | Performing surgery, dressing wounds and setting broken bones 0.09 |
- 0.22Advising clients on health, nutrition and feeding, hygiene, breeding and care…
- 0.21Determining the presence and nature of abnormal conditions by physical…
- 0.17Participating in programmes designed to prevent the occurrence and spread of…
- 0.09Performing surgery, dressing wounds and setting broken bones
- 0.10Providing euthanasia services for animals
- 0.11Rendering obstetric and dental services to animals
| Job | Exposure | Avg task score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative assistant | Very high | 0.59 | |
| Accountant | High | 0.51 | |
| IT officer | Moderate | 0.49 | |
| Computer technician | Moderate | 0.47 | |
| Information officer | Moderate | 0.43 | |
| PTD officer | Minimal | 0.42 | |
| Psychologist | Some | 0.39 | |
| Science officer | Minimal | 0.39 | |
| Architect | Minimal | 0.37 | |
| Legal officer | Minimal | 0.36 | |
| Pharmacist | Minimal | 0.33 | |
| Customs officer | Minimal | 0.32 | |
| Engineer | Not exposed | 0.30 | |
| Teacher | Not exposed | 0.30 | |
| Doctor | Not exposed | 0.29 | |
| Agriculture officer | Not exposed | 0.28 | |
| Physiotherapist | Minimal | 0.28 | |
| Environmental health officer | Not exposed | 0.28 | |
| Assistant engineer | Not exposed | 0.28 | |
| Medical assistant | Not exposed | 0.23 | |
| Radiographer | Not exposed | 0.22 | |
| Nurse | Minimal | 0.22 | |
| Firefighter | Not exposed | 0.18 | |
| Dentist | Not exposed | 0.15 | |
| Veterinarian | Not exposed | 0.14 | |
| Prison officer | Not exposed | 0.14 |
- Exposure measures how much of the work AI could do or speed up. It does not measure job cuts.
What the pay figures include
Every figure is monthly basic pay or fixed allowances, before deductions.
| Measure | Includes | Excludes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic salary | Gaji pokok on the SSPA scale | Allowances, shift, on-call and overtime pay, special payments |
| Fixed allowances | ITP, BISH, ITKA or ITK, and BIPK as advertised for the post | Shift, on-call and overtime pay |
| DOSM salary | Monthly salaries and wages of paid employees | Self-employed and unpaid family workers |
Questions
What is the veterinarian salary in Malaysia?
A new government veterinarian starts on RM2,910 basic a month (GV9, veterinary degree and registration as a vet). With fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur the total is RM3,810 a month, in 2026.
What is the veterinarian salary per year in Malaysia?
RM3,810 a month is RM45,720 a year in fixed pay, before any shift, on-call or overtime pay and before the special payments the government announces each year.
How does a government veterinarian's pay grow with years in service?
On the yearly increment alone, basic pay at grade 9 rises RM225 a year: from RM2,910 to about RM4,035 after 5 years and RM5,160 after 10, before any promotion. Foundific calculation from the Budget 2026 scale.
What is the highest veterinarian salary in government?
Grade 9 runs from RM2,250 to RM11,110 in basic pay. Promotion can lead to grade 14, with a maximum basic of RM15,360 a month (Budget 2026).
How much does a veterinarian earn in a private company?
No official source publishes veterinarian pay outside government.
What is the difference between G5 and GV9 for veterinarians?
G5 (assistant veterinary officer) is the diploma entry and starts at RM2,055 basic. GV9 (veterinary officer) is the degree entry and starts at RM2,910. The GV9 scale runs to RM11,110, against RM6,620 at G5.
Where do these figures come from?
Starting pay is from the SPA service scheme pages, the pay scale from the Budget 2026 establishment list, and allowances from the JPA SSPA circular. Private-sector context is from DOSM and Industrial Court awards.
Related guides
Sources
SPA service schemes, Ministry of Finance Budget 2026, JPA SSPA circular, DOSM
- Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam, Syarat Permohonan: Penolong Pegawai Veterinar Gred G5.
- Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam, Syarat Permohonan: Pegawai Veterinar Gred Gv9.
- Ministry of Finance, Budget 2026 establishment list, Lampiran A. SSPA minimum-maximum salaries, page A-1.
- JPA, Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bil. 1/2024 (SSPA), Lampiran E: ITP, ITKA and BISH by grade and area.
- DOSM, Salaries & Wages Survey Report 2025 and the 2024 report.