Malaysia - 2Q 2026 GDP (Advance)

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Malaysia - 2Q 2026 GDP (Advance)

17/07/2026 05:39 pm MYT

Based on advance estimates, Malaysia's real GDP grew by 5.8% year-on-year in 2Q 2026, improving from 5.4% in the previous quarter (figure 1). Growth was driven by expansion across all sectors, except for the agriculture sector.

The services sector increased by 5.4% year-on-year in 2Q 2026 (table 1), underpinned by the wholesale and retail trade; information and communication; and transportation and storage sub-sectors.

The manufacturing sector grew robustly by 7.5% year-on-year in 2Q 2026. Growth was driven by the production of electrical, electronic and optical products; petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic products; and non-metallic mineral products, basic metal and fabricated metal products.

The construction sector showed a more moderate trend, with a 6.6% year-on-year growth in 2Q 2026, supported by growth in non-residential buildings and specialised construction activities.

The agriculture sector declined by 3.7% year-on-year in 2Q 2026, after recording five consecutive quarters of growth, mainly due to weaker performance in the oil palm and fishing sub-sectors.

The mining and quarrying sector recorded the strongest growth among all sectors in 2Q 2026, rebounding from a 2.1% contraction in the previous quarter to a 10.2% growth. This was attributed to higher production in the natural gas sub-sector.

Note from Publisher

According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, Malaysian households discard between 31.9 kg and 97.3 kg of food per person annually, with the majority of waste coming not from scarcity but from daily behaviour and management practices. Processed and cooked food is more frequently discarded than raw ingredients, with rice, vegetables, and takeaway meals forming a large share of what ends up in the bin. This points to inefficiencies in meal planning, over-preparation, and the common habit of storing food beyond their usable life.

In addition, nearly 80% of Malaysian households did not practise separate disposal, throwing away food waste together with other household trash, limiting recycling or composting potential and adding pressure to already strained landfills.

Although the estimated range of Malaysia’s household food waste per capita is broadly in line with the global average of 79 kg, it should not be taken lightly. Food waste has implications on food security, resource efficiency, societal well-being, and environmental sustainability. We need to have serious public awareness campaigns about meal planning, purchasing planning, and proper disposals. Malaysians should not take having abundant food for granted.

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