Malaysia tops emerging Asia in investment attractiveness, ranked 27th globally - US think tank

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia has been ranked as the country with the best overall investment condition among Asia’s emerging and developing (E&D) nations in US economic think tank Milken Institute’s Global Opportunity Index (GOI) 2024.

Globally, Malaysia has an overall ranking of 27, ahead of Thailand (37) and China (39).

Commenting on the achievement, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said it is a testament to Malaysia’s efforts in enhancing the ease of doing business and addressing key pain points along the investor’s journey.

"We are deeply encouraged by this recognition, which speaks volumes of our focus on efficient implementation of approved investments. This recognition will spur us towards delivering even better service to help investors make Malaysia their gateway to Asia,” he told Bernama when asked to comment on the report.

The report said that E&D Asia has the third-largest GOI range between the top- and bottom-ranked countries among E&D regions.

It said four of the top 10 countries in E&D Asia rank above the E&D overall average in five categories of the GOI.

"The categories are business perception, economic fundamentals, financial services, institutional framework and international standards and policy,” it said.

Milken Institute said Malaysia, the country with the best investment conditions in the region, performed significantly above the E&D average in financial services and institutional frameworks.

"This country’s exceptional performance in institutional frameworks is partly due to its strong investors’ rights, ranking fifth overall in this subcategory of the GOI.

"In addition to Malaysia, China, the region’s largest economy, scores significantly above the E&D average on financial access and financial size and conditions, the two subcategories included in financial services,” it said.

Milken also found that E&D Asia performed relatively well in financial services, with its average score in this category closely trailing that of E&D Europe and ahead of other E&D regions.

"This region includes Malaysia, which has the best investment conditions (captured by the highest GOI score) among all E&D economies.

"In addition to its robust business perception and financial services, Malaysia ranks relatively high in the institutional framework category, partly due to the strength of investors’ rights in this country,” it added. - BERNAMA