Malaysia is expected to maintain its economic resilience in 2025 despite facing a war of tariffs and geopolitical tensions at the global level, said Finance Minister II, Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan.
He stressed that the country's neutrality and openness to trade are key factors supporting the stability of the Malaysian economy.
According to Amir Hamzah, Malaysia has created a strong foundation for long-term growth, but maintaining competitiveness requires continuous reform efforts without getting complacent.
"When I took over this position in December 2023, Malaysia's fiscal deficit was at 5.5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Now, it is expected to decline to 3.8% in 2025 and is targeted at 3.5% by 2026.
In fact, the ringgit has recorded the best performance as a currency in Asia," he said in a recent post on LinkedIn.
He added that the unemployment rate remained low at 3%, the lowest level in a decade, while foreign direct investment (FDI) hit a record high, reflecting investor confidence in Malaysia’s economic prospects.
This success is supported by the solid implementation of the three economic pillars in the Madani initiative.
For 2026, the government intends to continue strengthening economic resilience by focusing on more comprehensive implementation.
“The Madani economic framework has proven its effectiveness. The focus now is to maintain the positive momentum while facing various external challenges,” said Amir Hamzah.
He also stressed that Malaysia has made significant progress in the post-Covid-19 recovery and is working to re-establish its position as the ‘Asian Tiger’.
However, continued efforts are still needed to ensure sustainable and internationally competitive growth.
