MORE than 1.2 million Malaysians continue to live in poverty, according to the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Sabah and Sarawak Affairs, Mustapha Sakmud.
Drawing on data from the Household Income Survey, Mustapha stated that as of 31 December 2025, a total of 1,204,995 Malaysians were categorised as living in poverty, including 247,062 heads of household.
The nation’s population was estimated at 34.3 million as of November 2025, according to the Statistics Department.
The Star/Asia News Network reported Sabah recorded the highest number of people living in poverty at 254,303, followed by Kelantan with 239,850 and Terengganu with 117,159.
Other states with notable numbers included Sarawak (103,968), Kedah (91,768), Perak (79,455), Selangor (65,177), Pahang (47,837), Penang (44,852), Perlis (40,620) and Johor (39,022). States with lower poverty figures were Negeri Sembilan (29,591), Melaka (25,647), Kuala Lumpur (17,885), and the federal territories of Labuan (7,786) and Putrajaya (75).
Mustapha emphasised that no Malaysians were categorised as living in hardcore poverty.
He explained that “the categorisation of poverty depends on household per capita income and is based on a calculation formula provided by the Economy Ministry.”
He added that “hardcore poverty status is determined based on the current Poverty Line Income, which is periodically revised to reflect changes in the cost of living, food prices, inflation rate and location-specific costs.”
“The government recognises that poverty measurement cannot be considered static and must be continuously reviewed according to ongoing context,” Mustapha wrote in a parliamentary reply dated 29 January.
The minister was responding to a question from Jeli MP Zahari Kechik regarding the current number of poor and hardcore poor households listed under eKasih, Malaysia’s poverty data system, and the government’s ongoing initiatives to eradicate hardcore poverty. - February 1, 2026
