Latest news with #StatisticsDepartmentofMalaysia
The Star
02-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Johor led all states in GDP growth last year, says exco man
JOHOR BARU: Johor saw the highest economic growth among states in the country with a gross domestic product (GDP) of RM158bil last year, says exco member Lee Ting Han. The investment, trade, consumer affairs and human resources committee chairman said the state's performance reflected its readiness in spearheading the country's economy. 'The latest figures released by the Statistics Department of Malaysia (DOSM) showed Johor recording the highest GDP growth rate of 6.4% last year, higher than the national average of 5.1%. 'Johor's position as one of the top contributors to the nation's economy is cemented with a GDP value of RM158bil, placing us alongside Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak,' he said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (July 2). In 2023, Johor recorded a GDP of RM148.6bil. He added that last year, the state's construction sector saw double-digit growth to 42.7% from 2023's 12.7%. The state's growth is also driven by the services sector, which grew by 6%, and the manufacturing sector (4.2%), while the agriculture sector recovered to 4.2% after experiencing a decline of 1.3% in 2023, driven by an increase in oil palm production, he said. He pointed out that besides the economic momentum, the state government is collaborating with the Federal Government to implement high-impact projects to boost Johor's competitiveness. These include the expansion of the PLUS North-South Expressway and Senai-Desaru Expressway, elevated autonomous rapid transit in Iskandar Malaysia, public healthcare infrastructure, as well as improving logistics network and port facilities. In terms of policies, Lee said the state is constantly improving the investment and workforce ecosystem via channels such as the Invest Malaysia Facilitation Centre Johor, an integrated federal-state facilitation platform for investors, and the Johor Talent Development Council. 'Johor's economic landscape is set to change again with the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, a collaborative initiative designed to integrate the economies of Malaysia and Singapore through the easing of investment, mobility and trade. 'The Forest City Special Financial Zone, which is a hotspot for regional finance, digital and trade services, offers appealing tax packages and incentives. 'With this combination of projects and initiatives, along with Johor's strategic position as the gateway to Asean, we are on the right track to emerge as the new driving force of Malaysia's economy,' he said.
The Star
24-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Johor agri sector top in M'sia, RM27.2bil in sales recorded in 2024, says exco rep
Johor agriculture, agro-based industry and rural committee chairman Datuk Zahari Sarip (second from left) after chairing the Johor food security taskforce meeting at Kota Iskandar here on Tuesday (June 24). ISKANDAR PUTERI: Johor's agricultural sector has emerged top in the country, recording a sales figure of RM27.2bil in 2024, says Datuk Zahari Sarip. The Johor agriculture, agro-based industry and rural committee chairman said the figure, recorded throughout last year, was released by the Statistics Department of Malaysia. 'The majority of the value came from cultivation, making up about RM20.9bil, followed by livestock farming, fisheries and aquaculture,' he said after chairing the Johor food security taskforce meeting at Kota Iskandar here on Tuesday (June 24). He said the achievement reflected Johor's strength in agricultural activities as a result of strategic planning and collaboration between the state and Federal government as well as industry players. Zahari added that the state also wants to attract more agriculture investors into the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) to strengthen long-term food security. He said this was to safeguard the agriculture sector and ensure they are not left behind from the developments. 'The state government is discussing ways to better attract such investors through a series of workshops. 'We will also propose special incentives to be given to companies that want to invest in the agriculture sector within the JS-SEZ,' he said.
The Star
19-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Domestic tourism expenditure up 25.6% to RM106bil in 2024
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia's domestic tourism sector recorded significant growth in 2024, with total domestic visitor expenditure reaching RM106.7bil, a 25.6% increase from RM84.9bil in 2023, according to the Malaysia Domestic Tourism Survey released by the Statistics Department of Malaysia on Thursday (June 19). Chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the growth was driven by higher spending from tourists and day-trippers, registering growth rates of 20.6% and 33.8%, respectively. "The number of domestic visitors rose by 21.7% to 260.1 million in 2024, compared to 213.7 million the previous year. "The increase in domestic travel activities was supported by seasonal factors in the first quarter, including Chinese New Year celebrations, Ramadan, Hari Raya Aidilfitri preparations and school holidays, which contributed to higher movement and tourism-related spending," he said. Mohd Uzir said as for accommodation preferences, 60.4% of tourists stayed with relatives or friends. In terms of transportation modes, 97.6% of domestic visitors used land transport, while air travel accounted for only 2.1%, he said. The proportion of tourists opting for paid accommodation increased, with hotels accounting for 21.7% of overnight stays, while homestay usage rose from 6.7% in 2023 to 8.6% in 2024, he added. "Visiting relatives and friends remained the primary purpose of domestic travel, contributing 34.6% of total trips in 2024. In contrast, shopping-related trips declined to 27.6% in 2024 from 32.6% the previous year. "However, shopping remained the largest expenditure category, accounting for 37.4% of total domestic tourism spending, followed by food and beverages at 16.2% and vehicle fuel purchases at 12.7%," he said. Mohd Uzir said Selangor was the most visited state, attracting 34.5 million domestic visitors, followed by Kuala Lumpur with 27 million and Perak with 21.8 million domestic visitors. "Overall, Malaysia's domestic tourism sector in 2024 demonstrated robust and rapid growth, driven by an increase in visitor numbers, higher spending and evolving travel patterns. "While visiting relatives remains dominant, growing interest in recreation-based tourism, programmes and experiences reflects a dynamic and diverse market," he said. - Bernama
The Star
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Bung Moktar calls for accountability over Sabah job woes
KOTA KINABALU: The lack of quality employment in Sabah has resulted in young Sabahans migrating to Peninsular Malaysia in search of better opportunities, says Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin. The Sabah Umno chief cited an article stating that around 200,000 Sabahans were working in the peninsula in 2022 due to the lack of adequate opportunities back home. 'The Statistics Department of Malaysia (DOSM) findings indicate that higher salaries, between RM2,000 and RM4,999, offered elsewhere are the main reason for this migration. 'The reality is that Sabah is losing its skilled and professional talent, people who should drive the state's development. This results from weak policies, poor economic planning, and the absence of high-impact large-scale investments,' Bung Moktar added. He wants the Sabah government to explain why the state has the highest unemployment rate in the country despite various claims of development. 'It is our responsibility to speak the truth, a truth that cannot be masked by optimistic figures alone. Unemployment and economic growth are clear indicators of a government's actual performance,' he said in a statement on Thursday (May 22). Citing figures from the DOSM, Bung Moktar said Sabah continues to record the highest unemployment rate in the country. 'In the fourth quarter of 2024, some 178,000 Sabahans, or 7.7% of the population, were unemployed. This is significantly higher than Sarawak (3.3%), Kedah (1.7%), and Kelantan (3.8%). Although there has been a slight drop from 9.1% in 2022, the figures remain alarming,' he said. For comparison, he added, Sabah's unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2017 stood at just 5.9% (111,000 people) when Barisan Nasional governed the state under the leadership of then chief minister Tun Musa Aman. 'This shows that the administration at the time successfully laid a strong economic foundation, attracted foreign direct investments, and created job opportunities across various sectors. 'I therefore urge the people of Sabah to open their eyes and assess the true performance of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor's administration. 'I demand a sincere explanation, not just polished reports on paper. The people of Sabah deserve competent, transparent, and accountable leadership, not a government that continues to burden lives through administrative failure,' he said.
The Star
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Malaysia tops global open data ranking through OpenDOSM NextGen app
PUTRAJAYA: The OpenDOSM NextGen application, a platform offering data catalogues and visualisations to help users analyse various datasets, has propelled Malaysia onto the global stage in the Open Data Inventory (Odin) 2024/25 assessment. Launched by the Statistics Department of Malaysia (DOSM) in 2023, the platform helped Malaysia outperform 198 countries with an overall score of 90 and an exceptional data openness score of 99. Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin (pic) said Odin is an important benchmark as it provides a comprehensive overview of how well a country makes its data open and accessible to all. Malaysia also made history by climbing to the top of the Odin ranking, a significant jump from 67th place in the 2022/2023 assessment. "OpenDOSM, which currently hosts 645 datasets, allows anyone, including the public, to access information at their fingertips. In addition to economic data, we also provide social, environmental, and detailed data from parliamentary to state assembly levels, indirectly assisting the government in planning more targeted development and economic projects," Mohd Uzir said in a special interview. He said the OpenDOSM initiative has successfully bridged the information gap between policymakers and the public. By offering an accessible and user-friendly data platform, OpenDOSM strengthens the ability of policymakers and researchers to make evidence-based decisions. "The platform's recognition has extended beyond Malaysia's borders. Countries like Qatar have shown interest in our approach, and I have been invited to share our experience and best practices in implementing OpenDOSM," he said. Asked about the factors contributing to Malaysia's success in the latest Odin assessment, Mohd Uzir credited the commitment and passion of DOSM personnel in promoting public awareness and data literacy. This, he said, led to strategic reforms focused on improving data coverage and openness. "A special task force was established to address identified gaps, with particular attention given to gender-based data and district-level statistics," he said. He added that the newly announced assessment methodology by Open Data Watch (ODW) for Odin 2024/25 also spurred DOSM to prioritise the publication of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)-related data, as it is a key component in the scoring system. To sustain Malaysia's performance in future assessments, Mohd Uzir said DOSM has implemented an Odin Self-Assessment Dashboard to monitor real-time progress on data coverage and openness. Among the key enhancements to OpenDOSM is the integration of the Advanced Release Calendar (ARC), synchronised with DOSM's official portal, to help users access the latest information on DOSM publications. Additionally, OpenDOSM now offers an email subscription feature that notifies users when new datasets are published. "DOSM remains committed to strengthening Malaysia's open data agenda to ensure continued relevance at both national and global levels," he said. The Odin report, published biennially, evaluates the openness and coverage of official national statistics based on the availability of key indicators, disaggregation by time and geography, and accessibility in machine-readable formats. Odin aims to promote transparency, accountability, and evidence-based development through the use of high-quality data. — Bernama
