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Atlas Ekonomi Sabah
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Atlas Ekonomi Sabah · District brief · West Coast Division

Penampang

AI-generated · unreviewed draftData release 2026.09.26 · 33/33 citations verified · azure:gpt-5-mini
Income: 96th percentile in Sabah (2024)Poverty: 100th percentile in Sabah (2024)Gini: 52th percentile in Sabah (2024)GDP/cap: 69th percentile in Sabah (2020)Services: 96th percentile in Sabah (2020) · descriptiveAgri: 4th percentile in Sabah (2020) · descriptiveMfg: 35th percentile in Sabah (2020) · descriptiveDensity: 92th percentile in Sabah (2025) · descriptiveInc. growth: 19th percentile in Sabah (2024)GDP growth: 100th percentile in Sabah (2020)LFPR: 96th percentile in Sabah (2024)Jobless: 100th percentile in Sabah (2024)Water: 92th percentile in Sabah (2024)Power: 64th percentile in Sabah (2024)Radiance: 92th percentile in Sabah (2025) · descriptiveLit area: 92th percentile in Sabah (2025) · descriptiveLights growth: 35th percentile in Sabah (2025)

Situation

Penampang is classified as "Services-led towns & suburbs" in the district profile .

Median household income was RM 6,090 in 2024 and ranked 2 of 28 in Sabah .

Real GDP at constant 2015 prices was RM 1,925 in 2020 and the modelled 2024 nowcast p50 is RM 2,392 (80% interval RM 2,265–RM 2,796) — post-2020 GDP values are modelled .

The modelled 2026 projection for median income is p50 RM 6,394 with 80% interval RM 5,684–RM 7,216, noting post-2024 income values are modelled .

Strengths

  • Absolute poverty is low and flagged a scorecard strength: absolute poverty 2024 = 5.7% and scorecard verdict STRENGTH vs peers .
  • Labour-market engagement is strong and flagged a scorecard strength: labour force participation 2024 = 74.4% and scorecard verdict STRENGTH vs peers .
  • Services orientation is pronounced, with services share of GDP 2020 = 83.9% and positive industry-mix and competitive contributions in the 2015–2020 shift-share vs Sabah .
  • Median household income level is above the peer median and recorded in the scorecard as higher level in 2024 (RM 6,090 vs peer median RM 5,737) .

Constraints

  • GDP per capita in 2020 is RM 11,871 and the scorecard flags GDP per capita below peers as a CONCERN .
  • Income inequality is higher and worsening: Gini coefficient 2024 = 0.348 and the scorecard notes worsening trend and a CONCERN vs peers .
  • Median income trend is weakening and the scorecard marks this as mixed/worsening despite the high level (scorecard entry notes trend worsening for median income) .

Options

  • Scale district-level measures to deepen higher-value services and digital connectivity, learning from Putatan as a positive deviant that improved welfare momentum since 2019 — Evidence: strong; Putatan identified as a positive deviant for Penampang .
  • Implement targeted inclusion measures addressing access to services (including piped water) and labour-market programmes because drivers associate unemployment and piped-water access with poverty outcomes — Evidence: moderate; national plans prioritise expanding infrastructure and labour-market reform .
  • Pilot TVET and upskilling aligned with digital-infrastructure upgrades referenced in national plans to capture service-sector opportunities — Evidence: limited; the Twelfth Malaysia Plan highlights TVET and digital infrastructure priorities but does not report district-level evaluated impacts .

Uncertainties

  • All district real GDP values after 2020 are modelled nowcasts/projections and carry 80% intervals (example: 2024 p50 RM 2,392; interval RM 2,265–RM 2,796) .
  • Median income projections are modelled and the income forecast backtest shows a 2-year absolute error of 11.6%, which increases uncertainty about short-term welfare paths .
  • GDP forecast backtests show horizon-dependent errors (1-yr 2.2%, 3-yr 10.4%), which widen uncertainty for multi-year GDP projections .

What data would change this view

  • District-level time series on fiscal transfers and local capital expenditure would clarify the drivers of growth and could change attribution of GDP gains (these fiscal series are not present in the cited district outputs) .
  • Administrative or panel household earnings data at district level would reduce model uncertainty in income nowcasts and allow evaluation of inclusion measures (such microdata are not available in the cited tools) .

Sources cited

  1. [D1] Penampang · Median household income · 2024 = RM 6,090 (DOSM hh_income_district; rank 2 of 28 in Sabah, 1 = best) (source updated 2025-12-31)
  2. [D4] Penampang · Absolute poverty rate · 2024 = 5.7% (DOSM hh_poverty_district; rank 1 of 28 in Sabah, 1 = best) (source updated 2025-12-31)
  3. [D7] Penampang · Gini coefficient of household income · 2024 = 0.348 (DOSM hh_inequality_district; rank 14 of 28 in Sabah, 1 = best) (source updated 2025-12-31)
  4. [D9] Penampang · GDP at constant 2015 prices · 2020 = 1,925.4 (DOSM gdp_district_real_supply; 6 of 27 in Sabah by size, 1 = highest (descriptive, not good or bad)) (source updated 2024-11-02)
  5. [D10] Penampang · GDP per capita · 2020 = RM 11,871 (derived by the atlas from DOSM data; rank 9 of 27 in Sabah, 1 = best)
  6. [D15] Penampang · Labour force participation rate · 2024 = 74.4% (DOSM lfs_district; rank 2 of 27 in Sabah, 1 = best) (source updated 2025-06-30)
  7. [D23] Penampang · Services share of GDP · 2020 = 83.9% (derived by the atlas from DOSM data; 2 of 27 in Sabah by size, 1 = highest (descriptive, not good or bad))
  8. [D27] Penampang · Absolute poverty rate 2024: 5.7% vs peer median 6.9%; level above; trend improving (+0.50/yr, 2022–2024); verdict STRENGTH (source updated 2025-12-31)
  9. [D28] Penampang · Labour force participation rate 2024: 74.4% vs peer median 73.3%; level above; trend flat (+0.20/yr, 2023–2024); verdict STRENGTH (source updated 2025-06-30)
  10. [D29] Penampang · GDP per capita 2020: RM 11,871 vs peer median RM 25,674; level below; trend n/a; verdict CONCERN
  11. [D30] Penampang · Gini coefficient of household income 2024: 0.348 vs peer median 0.335; level below; trend worsening (-0.01/yr, 2022–2024); verdict CONCERN (source updated 2025-12-31)
  12. [D31] Penampang · Median household income 2024: RM 6,090 vs peer median RM 5,737; level above; trend worsening (-4.77/yr, 2022–2024); verdict MIXED (source updated 2025-12-31)
  13. [D38] Peer 2 of Penampang: Putatan (Sabah), type 'Services-led towns & suburbs'
  14. [D42] Positive deviant for Penampang: Putatan (Sabah) improved faster since 2019 (welfare momentum 5.9 vs 1.8); differs in: mining share lower (0.70 vs 0.00); population density higher (5.94 vs 7.58); share aged 65+ lower (6.78 vs 5.09)
  15. [D44] Penampang · income_median 2025 projection (baseline): p50 RM 6,240 (80% interval RM 5,742–RM 6,798)
  16. [D45] Penampang · income_median 2026 projection (baseline): p50 RM 6,394 (80% interval RM 5,684–RM 7,216)
  17. [D47] Backtest absolute error for Penampang income_median: 2-yr 11.6%
  18. [D52] Penampang · gdp_real 2024 nowcast: p50 2,392 (80% interval 2,265–2,796)
  19. [D57] Backtest absolute error for Penampang gdp_real: 1-yr 2.2%, 2-yr 1.7%, 3-yr 10.4%
  20. [D60] Penampang GDP 2015–2020 vs Sabah: change +315.5; benchmark effect +75.0; industry mix +126.2; competitive +114.2
  21. [D63] Penampang Absolute poverty rate 2024: actual 5.7%, expected 5.5% (within model error; CV error ±4.1%; model lightgbm); top associated factors: Unemployment rate +4.858; Piped-water access -2.437; Services share of GDP -2.210; Agriculture share of GDP -1.819
  22. [R1] Mid-Term Review of the Twelfth Malaysia Plan, 2021-2025: Main Document, Ministry of Economy, Malaysia (Economic Planning Unit), p. 172. https://rmke12.ekonomi.gov.my/ksp/storage/fileUpload/2023/09/2023091145_main_document_ksp_rmke_12.pdf
  23. [R2] Mid-Term Review of the Twelfth Malaysia Plan, 2021-2025: Main Document, Ministry of Economy, Malaysia (Economic Planning Unit), p. 133. https://rmke12.ekonomi.gov.my/ksp/storage/fileUpload/2023/09/2023091145_main_document_ksp_rmke_12.pdf
  24. [R3] Mid-Term Review of the Twelfth Malaysia Plan - Chapter 5: Progressing towards Regional Balance, Ministry of Economy, Malaysia (Economic Planning Unit), p. 28. https://rmke12.ekonomi.gov.my/ksp/storage/fileUpload/2023/09/2023091136_6_chapter_5.pdf

Generated by the Atlas AI Analyst from official DOSM statistics and the atlas models. Every factual sentence is cited; the validator removed 1 unsupported sentence(s). This draft has not yet been reviewed by a person.