KOTA KINABALU: Sabah reaches zero hardcore poor households as of January 2026, lifting 10,825 households from poverty through combined State and Federal Government interventions.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor announced this milestone during the Sentuhan Kasih Rakyat outreach event on Tuesday (June 16).
The state government aims to reduce absolute poverty incidence in Sabah to 3-5% and hardcore poverty to 0-0.1% by 2030.
Efforts include housing assistance, employment programs, educational aid, welfare support, and entrepreneurship initiatives.
Sabah’s absolute poverty rate decreased from 19.7% in 2022 to 17.7% in 2024, while hardcore poverty fell from 1.2% to 0.7%.
“Although Sabah still records the highest absolute and hardcore poverty rates in Malaysia, the decline in these incidence rates indicates that the various policies and development programmes implemented by the government are beginning to yield results,” said Hajiji.
