KUALA LUMPUR: More than 1.2 million Malaysians are still living in poverty, with Sabah recording the highest number of affected residents, according to figures released in Parliament.
Datuk Mustapha Sakmud, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs), said 1,204,995 people, including 247,062 heads of household, were categorised as poor as of December 31, 2025, based on data from the Household Income Survey.
Sabah topped the list with 254,303 people living in poverty, followed by Kelantan with 239,850 and Terengganu with 117,159.
Other states reporting large 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).
Lower figures were recorded in Negri Sembilan (29,591) and Melaka (25,647), while the federal territories showed the smallest numbers: Kuala Lumpur (17,885), Labuan (7,786) and Putrajaya (75).
Mustapha added that, based on the latest dataset, no Malaysians currently fall under the "hardcore poverty" category.
He explained that poverty classification is determined by household per capita income using a formula provided by the Economy Ministry, while hardcore poverty is assessed against the national Poverty Line Income, which is revised periodically to reflect changes in the cost of living, food prices, inflation and local conditions.
"The government recognises that poverty measurement cannot be considered static and must be continuously reviewed according to the current context," he said in a written parliamentary reply dated Jan 29.
The minister was responding to a question from Zahari Kechik (IND-Jeli), who sought updated figures on poverty levels under the eKasih database and details of government initiatives to eradicate hardcore poverty.
Malaysia's population stood at an estimated 34.3 million in November 2025, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia. - NST
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