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Country Snapshot - Malaysia  

HighlightsRankingsQuantitative DataLegislationAnalytical WorkProject Portfolio
  • East Asia & Pacific
  • Upper middle income
  • 27,913,990 (2011)
  • 7,900
Malaysia Flag
Below are select highlights for the data included in the profile.

  1. Doing Business 2011 (DB 2011) ranks Malaysia 21st out of the 183 countries covered by the report, recording a modest improvement compared to last year. The indicator that improved the most significantly in DB 2011 was Registering Property, allowing the country to move up 25 places in the sub-ranking.
  2. According to the latest Enterprise Surveys (2007), the top constraints to investment in Malaysia include Inadequately Educated Workforce, Tax Administration, and Licenses and Permits. Malaysian firms reported slightly longer times to obtain permits than their neighbors. For example, firms reported 22.38 days to obtain an operating license, compared to 16.21 for the region. Firms report 54.23 days to obtain a construction-related permit, compared to 44.99 days for the region.
  3. As reported by the Economist Intelligence Unit in 2011, Malaysia's industrial production tumbled in April as manufacturing and mining output fell. Production dropped by 2.2% year on year, the Department of Statistics said on June 9th, after growing by a revised 2.9% in March. Manufacturing fell by 0.4% year on year (following 6.1% growth the previous month) as a result of tumbling electronics and transport equipment production. Mining dropped by 6.9% (after a 4% fall in March) owing to falling crude oil output.
  4. Malaysia’s economic freedom score is 66.3, making its economy the 53rd freest in the 2011 Index. Its score is 1.5 points higher than last year, reflecting gains in investment and labor freedom. Malaysia is ranked 9th out of 41 countries in the Asia–Pacific region, and its overall score is above the world and regional averages. Despite the challenging global economy, Malaysia has continued to pursue liberalization, enhancing the entrepreneurial and investment environments. The economy scores above the world average in many of the 10 economic freedoms. The trade regime is relatively open despite lingering non-tariff barriers. However, corruption and a judicial system that remains vulnerable to political influence pose significant challenges to economic freedom.