Malaysia Approved RM 285.2 Billion in Investment in First Three Quarters of 2025 — Driving Over 150,000 Jobs
Published Time：
2025-12-04 12:00
Source：
Despite ongoing global economic uncertainties, Malaysia continues to demonstrate strong investment appeal. According to the latest data released on 18 November 2025 by the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), in the period from January to September 2025 (9M2025), total approved investments in Malaysia reached RM 285.2 billion, a year‑on‑year increase of 13.2%. This impressive performance reflects not only the country’s stable investment environment, but also creates new opportunities for companies planning cross‑border investment, company incorporation, or plant establishment.
1. Overall Investment Performance: Robust, with Over 150,000 Jobs to Be Created
- Total approved amount: RM 285.2 billion (YoY +13.2%)
- Number of projects: 4,874
- Estimated jobs created: 152,766
- Share of foreign‑invested projects: 52.9% (RM 150.8 billion)
- Share of domestic investment: 47.1% (RM 134.4 billion)
This shows that even under multiple global challenges, Malaysia continues to strengthen its position as an ASEAN investment hotspot.
2. Service Sector Leading, Manufacturing Sector Steadily Growing
A. Services Sector: RM 187.9 billion (65.9% of total, YoY +19.8%)
- Foreign investment: RM 76.1 billion (40.5%)
- Domestic investment: RM 111.8 billion (59.5%)
Major sub‑sectors include:
- Information & Communications Technology (ICT): RM 99.8 billion
- Real Estate: RM 56.6 billion
- Utilities: RM 9.7 billion
- Distribution Trade: RM 7.2 billion
- Support Services: RM 7.0 billion
The expansion in services reflects Malaysia’s growing strategic value as a centre for digital services, financial services, logistics, and other high‑value service industries, offering investors broad development space.
B. Manufacturing Sector: RM 93.8 billion (32.9% of total, YoY +5.6%)
- Foreign investment: RM 73.1 billion (77.9%)
- Domestic investment: RM 20.7 billion (22.1%)
Key manufacturing sub‑categories:
- Electrical & Electronics (E&E): RM 22.0 billion
- Chemicals and Chemical Products: RM 17.5 billion
- Transport Equipment: RM 12.7 billion
- Basic Metals: RM 9.9 billion
- Non‑metallic Mineral Products: RM 7.5 billion
Notably, a high proportion (45%) of high‑skilled technical jobs (MTS) signals that the manufacturing sector is steadily upgrading toward higher‑value‑added production.
C. Primary Sector: RM 3.5 billion (1.2% of total)
- Foreign investment: RM 1.6 billion (46.9%)
- Domestic investment: RM 1.9 billion (53.1%)
Main sub‑category:
- Mining: RM 3.5 billion
- Agriculture: RM 13.5 million
The stable growth in the primary sector highlights Malaysia's long‑term value in agriculture and raw materials supply chain development.
3. Key Investment Hotspot Regions
Investment approvals show clear geographic concentration in:
- Johor: RM 91.1 billion
- Selangor: RM 51.9 billion
- Kuala Lumpur: RM 45.9 billion
- Penang: RM 23.7 billion
- Kedah: RM 17.5 billion
These states are key destinations for foreign investment and major manufacturing projects, often prioritized for site selection and factory setup.
4. Major Sources of Foreign Investment: Singapore and China Lead the Way
The sources of foreign capital remain diversified:
- Singapore: RM 52.7 billion — the largest foreign investor
- People's Republic of China: RM 35.8 billion
- United States: RM 11.3 billion
- British Virgin Islands (BVI): RM 6.6 billion
- Japan: RM 4.8 billion
This indicates that multinational corporations from Asia, Europe, and the US continue to regard Malaysia as a key hub for their regional strategic deployment.
5. Conclusion: FOZL Group’s Global Service Footprint
Since its establishment in Singapore in 2011, FOZL Group has continuously expanded its cross‑border service capacity. With regional offices in Malaysia, China, Europe (Germany), and Indonesia, we have built an integrated service network spanning Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Europe — offering companies a one‑stop solution for global expansion.
Amid Malaysia’s sustained investment growth, FOZL Group leverages its multinational team and regional resources to support enterprises in multinational investment planning, cross‑border incorporation, fiscal and tax compliance, and international operations. We help companies seize regional development opportunities and achieve stable, sustainable multi‑country expansion.
Malaysia Office：Suite 1, Level 23, Menara KOMTAR, 80888 Ibrahim International Business District, Johor Darul Ta‘zim, Malaysia
Tel：+607 272 5827
E-mail：enquiry@fozl.sg
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