SIBU: Sarawak had experienced an upward trend in its total monthly household income, reaching RM3.9 billion in 2022 compared to RM3.7 billion in 2019.
The good news on the 5.4 per cent increase released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM) through its Household Income and Expenditure Survey was shared with the press by Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg here today.
He visited the Kampung Datu Redevelopment Project this afternoon after chairing the 4th State Development Coordination Committee Meeting (SDCCM) 2023 in the morning.
He said that over the three-year period, the mean monthly household income in the region witnessed a growth of 8.4 per cent, rising from RM5,959 in 2019 to RM6,457 in 2022.
Concurrently, the median monthly household income also experienced significant progress, reaching RM4,978 in 2022, compared to RM4,544 in 2019 (growth of 9.6 per cent).
The monthly mean household gross income in Sarawak in the urban area increased from RM7,243 in 2019 to RM7,744 in 2022 (6.9 per cent) and during the same period, the rural area’s monthly mean household gross income increased from RM4,218 to RM4,579 (8.6 per cent).
“I am happy to share that the statistics highlighted a positive growth trend in mean monthly household incomes for both urban and rural areas in Sarawak, particularly in the rural areas which experienced a slightly higher increase in household gross income, showcasing the Sarawak government’s efforts in ensuring balanced development and inclusive growth throughout the state,” he said.
Sarawak is aiming to increase the average household income from RM4,544 in 2019 to RM15,000 per month as the region moves toward becoming a developed state by 2030 and the premier believes that Sarawak is on the right track, as proven by the World Bank’s acknowledgment that Sarawak is now a high-income state.
“Additionally, the high-income status by the World Bank also correlates with our revenue whereby Sarawak recorded a revenue of RM11.9 billion, the highest revenue performance ever achieved in the state’s history,” said Abang Johari.
With the increased revenue, Sarawak has raised the ceiling of Sarawak’s 12th Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Review from RM30 billion to RM38 billion to accelerate the infrastructure development throughout the region to facilitate inclusive socio-economic development.
Through a series of targeted high impact development programmes, Sarawak aims to foster a society where no one is left behind and opportunities are accessible to all.
He said the Sarawak government also invested in human capital development to ensure that its people are equipped with the right skills to increase their average household income to RM15,000 per month by 2030. – Bernama
