{
  "id": 16162135,
  "title": "Malaysians' wellbeing improves, but income gaps persist: Khazanah research arm",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/malaysians-wellbeing-improves-but-income-gaps-persist-khazanah",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-23T07:22:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/business/economy/2026/10/1561969/malaysians-wellbeing-improves-income-gaps-persist-khazanah"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's overall household wellbeing has shown improvements, but substantial income gaps and unequal access to well-paying jobs remain a significant challenge, according to Khazanah Research Institute (KRI). In 2024, the median monthly household income climbed to RM7,017, marking a 5.1% annual increase since 2022. Meanwhile, the labour force participation rate rose to 70.6% in 2024 from 69.3% in 2022, and 68.7% in 2019. The Malaysia Happiness Index also climbed to 7.60 in 2024 from 6.48 in 2021, as reported by KRI in its 2026 report titled \"From Income to Wellbeing: The State of Households.\" The Malaysian Wellbeing Index indicates that economic and social wellbeing has generally improved since 2000; however, these gains are unevenly distributed geographically. Urban centers, particularly Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, benefit from economic activity and higher-paying jobs, while rural areas lag behind. In 2024, urban median monthly wages amounted to RM2,851, compared to RM1,698 in rural regions. Rural median household income was only 56.4% of the urban level. Out of Malaysia's 166 districts, 111 recorded poverty rates surpassing the national average of 5.1% in 2024, underscoring persistent economic disparities. Access to essential services has also improved considerably. As of 2024, 97.8% of households were within 5km of a public health facility, 98.7% were within 5km of a primary school, and 95.9% were within 5km of a secondary school. Nearly all households enjoy access to treated piped water, electricity, and telecommunications. KRI advises that higher incomes and access to infrastructure alone do not guarantee improved wellbeing. Factors such as age, gender, and employment conditions also play a crucial role. Older households tend to have lower incomes and higher health risks, while women continue to experience lower labour force participation and a persistent wage gap. Informal workers, especially in rural areas, face greater job insecurity and limited access to employment protections. The report also highlights that Malaysia's reliance on a limited number of countries for food imports exposes households to potential supply disruptions and price shocks. This vulnerability would disproportionately impact lower-income households, as they allocate a larger portion of their budget to food.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s household wellbeing has improved across several measures, but sharp regional income disparities and uneven access to higher-paying jobs continue to shape living standards, Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) said.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}