The 2012 Household Income Survey found the average monthly income of Malaysian households rising from RM4,025 in 2009 to RM5,000 in 2012, an increase of 7.2 percent annually.

NONE In announcing the statistics in Putrajaya today, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nor Mohamed Yakcop ( left ) said the urban household monthly income increased at a rate of 6.6 percent a year from RM4,705 in 2009 to RM5,742 last year, while the rural household monthly income rose 6.4 percent annually from RM2,545 to RM3,080.

"The signficant income rise was achieved with the federal government's efforts in ensuring continuous, stable and strong growth in the economy.

The impact was via widespread increase in economic opportunities which generated employment with business and industrial development in various economic sectors," he said.

Nor Mohamed said all states also recorded better average monthly household incomes with Kuala Lumpur leading with the highest growth of 14.9 percent from RM5,488 to RM8,586.

He said this was followed by Labuan with 12 percent from RM4,407 to RM6,317, Perlis with 10.1 percent from RM2,617 to RM3,538, Terengganu 9.1 percent from RM3,017 to RM3,967, and Negeri Sembilan and Sabah from RM3,540 to RM4,576 and from RM3,102 to RM4,013 respectively.

On the ethnic breakdown, Indians recorded the highest increase in monthly household income at 9 percent from RM3,999 to RM5,233, followed by the Chinese at 8 percent from RM5,011 to RM6,366 and Bumiputeras, 6.9 percent from RM3,624 to RM4,457.

Target met three years earlier

There was also a significant reduction in the overall incidence of poverty from 3.8 percent in 2009 to 1.7 percent last year, with the total number of household poor plunging 52.7 percent from 228,400 to 108,000 in the same period.

"With these achievements, the Tenth Malaysia Plan's target of reducing overall poverty to 2 percent by 2015 had been met three years earlier.

“This is the result of rapid national economic growth as well as the effectiveness of the poverty eradication programmes implemented by the government," Nor Mohamed said.

He said the overall incidence of poverty in the urban areas contracted from 1.7 percent to 1 percent while the rural area rate was slashed to 3.4 percent from 8.4 percent.

He said the Bumiputera poverty rate went down from 5.3 percent to 2.2 percent, the Chinese moderated from 0.6 percent to 0.3 percent and the Indians receded from 2.5 percent to 1.8 percent.

"Sabah emerged as the best performing state in poverty eradication with its poverty rate falling from 19.7 percent to 8.1 percent, followed by Perlis from 6 percent to 1.9 percent and Terengganu from 4 percent to 1.7 percent, while Putrajaya achieved zero-poverty status last year," he added.

- Bernama