Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said the gap had narrowed following 5.8% growth in the second quarter of 2026. He put Malaysia’s gross national income (GNI) per capita for 2025 at RM57,200 (US$13,351) under the World Bank Atlas method, against a threshold of US$14,375. He had put GNI per capita at US$12,380, the highest since independence, and described Malaysia as one step from the threshold. The World Bank’s own published 2025 figure for Malaysia is also US$12,380, which puts the country 16.1% short rather than 7.1%. Akmal Nasrullah made a similar point at the launch of the OECD Economic Surveys: Malaysia 2026.