Over 120,000 Expatriates In Malaysia, Contribute 4.8 Pct Of GDP

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 (Bernama) -- A total of 120,183 expatriates were in Malaysia as of Oct 31, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

He said of the total, the highest number of expatriate officers were from China, namely 27,460, India (23,131), the Philippines (9,302), Japan (8,739) and Indonesia (8,333).

"Meanwhile, 36 per cent of the 120,183 (expatriate officers) are from other countries," he said during the oral question and answer session at Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to a question by Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah (BN-Paya Besar) on the number and percentage of high-value foreigners (expatriates) migrating to Malaysia according to the country breakdown.

Saifuddin Nasution said that based on the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC), the presence of expatriate officers provided an economic impact by contributing RM75 billion, equivalent to 4.8 per cent of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He said the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) had also collected up to RM100 million in income tax from the group.

According to Saifuddin Nasution, among the attractions of expatriate officers to Malaysia is the low cost of living for the group, political stability and the potential for economic vitality in the country.

He said this placed Kuala Lumpur in eighth position out of 49 major cities by the Expat City Ranking 2023.

-- BERNAMA