Malaysia’s Poverty Line Revision Well Received by the World Bank

Malaysia’s recent poverty line income (PLI) revision to MYR 2,208 from MYR 980 has been commended by the World Bank. According to Kenneth Simler, World Bank Senior Economist, prior to the most recent revision, Malaysia’s PLI had not been revised since 2005, adding that the value of the poverty line had hardly changed in real terms since the first PLI was established back in 1977.

According to Simler, this update ensured that hardships and deprivations previously viewed as being socially acceptable were no longer considered so in 2020. The World Bank stated that this revision would allow the Government to work towards ensuring a new minimum living standard for all Malaysians, which was more in line with the c...