{
  "id": 4563906,
  "title": "Sabah poverty figures, tourism ranking among Malaysia’s quieter gains, says World Bank economist",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/sabah-poverty-figures-tourism-ranking-among-malaysias-quieter-gains",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-31T03:47:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Vibes",
    "slug": "the-vibes",
    "url": "https://www.thevibes.com/articles/news/126770/sabah-poverty-figures-tourism-ranking-among-malaysias-quieter-gains-says-world-bank-economist"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "World Bank economist Apurva Sanghi has highlighted several quieter gains Malaysia has made this year despite a turbulent year, as the country marks its 69th Merdeka Day. Sanghi pointed to poverty reduction in Sabah, where all households on the state's hardcore poverty list have been removed, and Malaysia's top-ranked position in Islamic tourism, surpassing countries like Turkey, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, Malaysia has improved its position in open data, ranking first globally in the Open Data Inventory, an improvement from its 67th place three years ago. The World Bank economist also highlighted the revision of rules governing the National Trust Fund (KWAN), directing future withdrawals towards education, healthcare, and climate adaptation, rather than general spending.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Colombia One",
        "title": "Thirteen Routes in Colombian Department Added to the World Map of Religious Tourism",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/thirteen-routes-in-colombian-department-added-to-the-world-map-of",
        "published": "2026-08-31T01:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}