PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim welcomed the country's economic growth of 6.0 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, which exceeded all market expectations.
Anwar said the performance was recorded at a time when the world economy was slowing down due to the global supply crisis and unrest in West Asia.
"Alhamdulillah, while the world economy is slowing down due to the global supply crisis and unrest in West Asia, the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was recorded to have jumped by 6 per cent in the second quarter of 2026," he said in a Facebook post today.
According to Anwar, the growth rate thus recorded the strongest second-quarter growth performance outside the pandemic period since 2014.
He said that the MADANI Government has implemented various measures to ensure that the people's lives are not severely affected by the global inflationary crisis.
These include BUDI MADANI, Sumbang Tanai Rahmah (STR) and Sumbang Asas Rahmah (SARA), in addition to efforts to control prices and ensure that supplies continue to be sufficient.
"I realise that there is still much that needs to be implemented by the MADANI Government to ensure that not only this growth momentum remains sustainable, but that the country's wealth and progress can be achieved together by all the people," he said.
Anwar said that this needs to be translated into more meaningful income, quality job opportunities and assistance to the vulnerable.
Early this morning, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) announced that the Malaysian economy grew by 6.0 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, up from 5.4 per cent in the first quarter.
According to BNM, the growth was driven by continued domestic demand and strong exports, while household spending was supported by stable income growth and continued policy support.
Exports were driven, among others, by the strength of electrical and electronics (E&E) products, the expansion of services exports, and the recovery of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports and non-E&E manufactured products.
The services sector grew by 5.9 per cent, while the manufacturing sector recorded growth of 7.3 per cent, with E&E's performance supported by strong demand related to artificial intelligence (AI).
BNM maintained its economic growth forecast for the country between 4.0 and 5.0 per cent for 2026, with the latest developments indicating that full-year growth could be around 5 per cent. – August 14, 2026
