MM2H surges in 2025 with 3,172 approvals, drives RM3.88 bln economic boost for Malaysia

The nightscape of Kuala Lumpur. Photo credit: Pexels/Pixabay

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, March 25: A total of 3,172 applications under the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme were approved in 2025, generating an estimated RM3.875 billion in national economic value.

In a post shared on his social media today, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Dato Sri Tiong King Sing said the strong performance underscores growing international confidence in Malaysia as a preferred long-term stay destination, driven by sustained promotional efforts and improved visibility in key global markets.

He noted that the economic contribution stems primarily from two core requirements imposed on successful applicants, namely fixed deposits placed in Malaysian banks amounting to RM2.35 billion, and residential property purchases totalling RM1.51 billion. In addition, RM13.86 million was collected through participation fees.

“From the total approvals, 46 applications were under the Platinum category, 154 under the Gold category, 2,650 under the Silver category, and 322 under the Special Economic and Financial Zone category,” he said, adding that the approvals translated into 9,038 participants joining the programme in 2025.

Tiong said the encouraging figures were the result of aggressive global promotion by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) in collaboration with Tourism Malaysia, particularly in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VM2026) campaign.

“Throughout 2025, we significantly intensified our marketing and publicity efforts across key source markets worldwide, consistently promoting both VM2026 and MM2H,” he said.

He added that sustained visibility in these markets has translated into increased tourist arrivals and stronger interest in long-term residency programmes.

Over the past year, Tiong personally led multiple overseas missions to promote Malaysia, visiting 19 cities across 11 countries spanning ASEAN, the Middle East, Europe, China and Australia.

During these missions, he officiated MM2H launch events, supported Visit Malaysia promotional and experiential programmes, and held engagement sessions with key industry players.

“I am encouraged by the results, as most of these markets have shown significant growth,” he said.

Among the notable increases, visitor arrivals from Australia rose by 11 per cent to nearly 497,000, while Switzerland and Poland recorded growth of 15.3 per cent and 32.6 per cent respectively. — DayakDaily