Malaysia’s industrial production jumped 8.2% year-on-year in April 2026, up sharply from 3.1% in March and well above market expectations of 4%. This marked the fastest annual growth since September 2022, underpinned by a stronger performance in manufacturing, where output rose 8.3% compared with 5.5% in the previous month.
Manufacturing growth was broad-based, with notable gains in electrical and electronics, transport equipment, food, beverages and tobacco products, as well as non-metallic mineral products, basic metals and fabricated metal products. Electricity output also gained momentum, surging 10.5% after a 4.8% increase in March.
Meanwhile, the mining sector returned to expansion, growing 6.8% in April following a 6.5% contraction in March, supported by a 16.6% spike in natural gas production. However, on a seasonally adjusted month-on-month basis, overall industrial output fell 3.4%, reversing a revised 9.3% increase recorded in March.
