This paper reviews the literature on empirical financial literacy studies in Malaysia and assesses trends, areas, and variables that have been studied among Malaysian cohorts. Despite the growing body of work, existing Malaysian reviews are limited by short time frames and lack systematic synthesis across samples, methods, and variables. An exploratory literature review method was used, and a set of criteria was devised to compile 48 empirical investigations. The review indicated that the number of publications on empirical research in financial literacy was on an increasing trend, and that publications have addressed different themes and cohorts over the past decades. However, other findings revealed minimal investigation using a qualitative method and a secondary data approach. The review was limited to three literature databases and did not cover the publications from 2024 onward. Three apparent gaps were identified: over-reliance on student samples, dominance of cross-sectional survey designs, and limited use of theory-driven or longitudinal approaches. Given the current trend, future empirical research on financial literacy is anticipated to expand and yield new and interesting findings. This review provides an integrated map of empirical evidence, identifies persistent structural gaps, and proposes targeted directions for future Malaysian financial literacy research.