World Bank: Sarawak retains high-income State status with GNI per capita of RM70,500 in 2025

Sarawak Legislative Complex (DUN) file picture.

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, July 7: Sarawak has maintained its status as a high-income State after recording a Gross National Income (GNI) per capita of RM70,500 in 2025, surpassing the World Bank’s high-income threshold of RM61,600.

According to TVS, the figures were shared by the World Bank’s Lead Economist for Malaysia, Dr Apurva Sanghi, in a post on X, which provided an update on Malaysia’s position in the World Bank’s income classification, including the status of individual Malaysian states and developments across Asean economies.

Based on World Bank staff calculations using data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Sarawak is among five Malaysian states and federal territories that have exceeded the high-income threshold, alongside the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Labuan, Penang, and Selangor.

Kuala Lumpur recorded the highest GNI per capita at RM138,600, followed by Labuan (RM84,900), Penang (RM77,100), Sarawak (RM70,500), and Selangor (RM67,300).

In the same post, Apurva noted that Malaysia remains classified as an upper-middle-income economy, a category it has remained in for the past 38 years.

The World Bank also updated that Vietnam and the Philippines have both advanced into the upper-middle-income category, reflecting significant economic progress in the Asean region.

The development suggests that the income gap among Asean countries is narrowing, with several regional economies moving closer to attaining high-income status.

Sarawak’s achievement in maintaining its high-income status since 2022 reflects the strength of its economic fundamentals, driven by the energy sector, industrial development, high-value manufacturing, and the State government’s green economic transformation agenda.

It also reinforces Sarawak’s position as one of Malaysia’s most competitive economies and a key contributor to the nation’s long-term goal of achieving high-income economy status. — DayakDaily