Living better: The 2024 IKRM shows Malaysians’ well-being continues to improve, driven by economic, social and environmental progress, says Mohd Uzir.
PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Well-being Index (IKRM) rose to 120.6 points in 2024 from 119.4 in 2023, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
IKRM is an official statistical measure developed to assess the overall well-being of Malaysians from both economic and social perspectives. It provides a broad, data-driven picture of how well people in the country are faring over a period of time.
The index employs a composite scoring system that combines a range of indicators into a single index value, encompassing economic well-being, social well-being and environmental achievements.
Under the economic well-being subcomposite, the aspects covered include income and distribution, educational outcomes, transportation access, communication infrastructure and working life conditions.
The social well-being sub-composite covers housing, public safety, social participation, governance and cultural life, health and family conditions as well as environmental quality.
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the economic subcomposite remained the main contributor to the overall increase, rising by 2.2 index points to 128.8, followed by the social subcomposite, which increased by 1.1 points, and the environmental subcomposite, which edged up by 0.2 points compared with the previous year.
“For the economic subcomposite, the income and distribution component recorded the highest increase at 5.9 index points in 2024, followed by transport at 3.4 index points and communication at 0.1 index points.
“This improvement reflects a stronger economic recovery and a more balanced income distribution,” he said in a statement, Bernama reported.
The increase in the social subcomposite was driven by improvements across six components, namely social participation (5.1 index points), governance (4.7 index points), housing (1.7 index points), entertainment and recreation (1.7 index points), culture (0.4 index points) and public safety (0.1 index points).
On the environmental subcomposite, Mohd Uzir said it also recorded positive developments with the air component increasing by 1.1 index points and biodiversity resources rising by 0.2 index points.
“The improvement in environmental indicators focused on greenhouse gas emissions, access to treated tap water and the area of forest licensed for exploitation,” he said.
At the state level, Mohd Uzir said most states recorded improvements in their well-being index, with Kelantan posting the highest increase of 2.0 index points, followed by Kedah and Sarawak at 1.8 index points each and Sabah at 1.3 index points.
He said Sarawak recorded the most significant rise in the economic subcomposite at 3.7 index points while Kedah registered the highest increase in the social subcomposite at 3.0 index points.
Negri Sembilan, meanwhile, showed a notable improvement in the environmental subcomposite with an increase of 4.7 index points.
Mohd Uzir also said the 2024 IKRM confirms that the overall well-being of Malaysians continues to improve, driven by economic progress, social strengthening and enhancements in environmental sustainability.
“The improvements in these indicators have further strengthened the IKRM as the government’s main reference in formulating sustainable development policies that prioritise the well-being of the people and environmental sustainability,” he said.
He added that the IKRM was developed to provide a comprehensive overview of Malaysians’ well-being based on 14 components, covering the economic and social well-being subcomposites.
The index is a comprehensive statistical tool that tracks national well-being beyond traditional economic measures like Gross Domestic Product, offering insights into both material living conditions and broader social quality-of-life factors.
