KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has successfully achieved zero hardcore poverty as of January this year, says Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
He added 10,825 heads of households were lifted from the hardcore poor category, which was based on the eKasih data as of May 31, 2026. The data tracks the heads of hardcore poor households.
This means that hardcore poverty has been completely eradicated through the implementation of various assistance programmes carried out in an integrated manner by the state and federal governments, he said.
Hajiji said achieving zero hardcore poverty for 2026 marked an important milestone in Sabah’s journey towards more inclusive social development.
“The real challenge is reducing the state’s poverty rate, which is still higher than that of other states.
“As such, Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) 2.0 aims to gradually reduce poverty rate to levels closer to the national rate by 2030 through the implementation of more targeted, high-impact and sustainable development programmes,” he said at the launch of the Sentuhan Kasih Rakyat (Syukur) outreach programme for Tuaran district near here yesterday.
The state government is targeting Sabah’s absolute poverty rate to be reduced progressively to around 3% to 5%, and hardcore poverty incidence to between 0% and 0.1% by 2030.
“To achieve this goal, the government will continue implementing the Sabah Poverty and Hardcore Poverty Eradication Programme focusing on the provision of affordable housing, human capital development, job creation, skills enhancement, rural economic development and targeted financial assistance for those in need,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the state government has placed poverty eradication as a priority in the development agenda of Sabah.
“However, this achievement (wiping out hardcore poverty) is not the end of our struggle. The state government recognises that there are still people who require attention and assistance,” he added.
