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Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Malaysia economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Malaysia best banks and safest banks are also available.
Malaysia’s strong current account and FX reserves will safeguard it against external shocks, but high leverage and simmering ethnic tensions remain weak points.
USD 101.4 billion (2018)
International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019
Intl$ 999.4 billion (2018, estimate)
2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
6.3% | 4.8% | -1.5% | 7.5% | 5.3% | 5.5% | 4.7% |
2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018* | ||
6% | 5.1% | 4.2% | 5.9% | 4.7% |
*Estimate
1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2019* |
0.35% | 0.45% | 0.60% | 0.65% | 0.75% |
*Estimate
(2016 estimate)
2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018* | 2019* |
2.1% | 2.1% | 3.8% | 1% | 1% |
*Estimate
2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018* | 2019* |
3.2% | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.3% | 3.4% |
*Estimate
2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018* | 2019* |
57% | 55.8% | 54.4% | 55.6% | 56.3% |
*Estimate
2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018* | 2019* |
-2.5% | -2.6% | -2.4% | -3.6% | -3% |
*Estimate
Standard & Poor's: A-
Moody's: A3
Standard & Poor's / Moody's
2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
USD 359.8 billion | USD 455.8 billion | USD 398.0 billion |
Maybank, Tenaga Nasional, Public Bank, CIMB Group Holdings, Petronas Chemicals, RHB Bank, Hong Leong Financial, Axiata Group, AmBank Group
2.1 % (2018 estimate)
69.7% (2018)
1.27% (2018)
0.69% (2018)
Semiconductors and electronic equipment, palm oil, petroleum and liquefied natural gas, wood and wood products, palm oil, rubber, textiles, chemicals, solar panels
Electronics, machinery, petroleum products, plastics, vehicles, iron and steel products, chemicals
Singapore 15.1%, China 12.6%, US 9.4%, Japan 8.2%, Thailand 5.7%, Hong Kong 4.5%(2017)
China 19.9%, Singapore 10.8%, US 8.4%, Japan 7.6%, Thailand 5.8%, South Korea 4.5%, Indonesia 4.4% (2017)
2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
USD 11,336 million | USD 9,399 million | USD 8,091 million |
2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
USD 8,011 million | USD 5,638 million | USD 5,280 million |
2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
USD 3,904 million | USD 1,758 million | USD -607 million | USD 962 million |
N/A
N/A
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.
Overall ranking:
12 out of 190 countries
Subcategories:
Starting a Business: 126 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 2 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 4 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 33 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 37 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 2 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 80 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 49 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 35 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 40 out of 190 countries
27 out of 141 countries
(2019)
Ranking: 22 / Score: 74 (Mostly free)
(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)
Kuala Lumpur; note - nearby Putrajaya is referred to as a federal government administrative center but not the capital; Parliament meets in Kuala Lumpur
Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Bahasa Malaysia (official), English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai
Note: in East Malaysia there are several indigenous languages; most widely spoken are Iban and Kadazan
Muslim (official) 61.3%, Buddhist 19.8%, Christian 9.2%, Hindu 6.3%, Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions 1.3%, other 0.4%, none 0.8%, unspecified 1% (2010 est.)
1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2015 | 2020* |
18.27 million | 23.5 million | 28.59 million | 31.19 million | 33.22 million |
*Estimate
1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2018 |
26.6% | 42% | 62% | 76% |
Total population: 94.6%
Male: 96.2%
Female: 93.2%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)
0.2% (last available estimate, 2015)
41 (last available estimate, 2015)
Partly Free
Political Rights: 4
Civil Liberties: 4 (2019)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)
Fixed: 20.4% Mobile: 134.5% (2018)
(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)