Malaysia Nears High-Income Status, Says Ramanan

BUKIT MERTAJAM, July 25 — Malaysia is just one step away from attaining high-income nation status under the World Bank’s per capita income threshold, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan declared today.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the National Training Week (NTW) 2026 finale at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Permatang Pauh, Ramanan attributed the country’s historic economic milestones to the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Under Anwar’s stewardship, Malaysia’s Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, calculated using the World Bank Atlas method, reached USD12,380—the highest level recorded since independence. Concurrently, the total economic size measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose to USD472 billion, representing the nation’s largest output since 1957.

“For the 2027 financial year, the World Bank Atlas method sets the GNI per capita threshold for high-income nation status at USD14,376,” Ramanan explained.

“Malaysia is now just one step away from achieving that status. We are not far from our goal,” he told attendees at the event, which was officiated by Anwar and attended by Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

Ramanan stressed that these figures demonstrate the country is on the right track, driven by federal efforts to fortify the economy, attract quality investments, and enhance workforce competitiveness.

Emphasizing the importance of human capital development, the minister stated that transparent fund management is essential for creating upskilling opportunities through trusted national institutions, particularly the Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp).

In Penang alone, HRD Corp oversees more than 8,000 registered employers representing 445,792 workers. During the first half of 2026, the state collected RM129.72 million in training levies while rechanneling RM113.74 million back into workforce upskilling across 125,398 training programmes.

“I have always stressed that every sen of the levy entrusted by employers must be managed with the utmost integrity,” Ramanan stated.

“In the first six months alone, strengthened governance enabled us to recover RM437.3 million through optimisation measures and portfolio recovery,” he added.

Ramanan noted that NTW 2026 continues to provide inclusive opportunities for all segments of society—including youths, workers, homemakers, and retirees—to build better futures through skill enhancement.

-NMT