Telupid

Situation

Telupid is classified as "Plantation & agrarian frontier" in the atlas typology D1.

Telupid's median household income was RM 2,757 in 2019 and RM 4,489 in 2024 D2D1.

Official district real GDP is published to 2020 at RM 605.6 million while later years are modelled nowcasts and projections; the 2024 nowcast central estimate is RM 643 million with an 80% interval RM 608–RM 751 million D9D51.

Telupid records low measured income inequality (Gini 0.267) and a high absolute poverty rate of 22.0% in 2024 D7D4.

Strengths

• Rapid median-income growth since 2019 is flagged as a strength versus structural peers (median-income growth since 2019 = 10.2%; verdict STRENGTH) D26.
• Low and improving income inequality is flagged as a strength (Gini coefficient 2024 = 0.267; verdict STRENGTH) D27.
• Median household income in 2024 exceeds the modelled expectation for Telupid's structure (actual RM 4,489; expected RM 3,741), shown in the drivers analysis D61.

Constraints

• Absolute poverty is a concern: Telupid's absolute poverty rate 2024 = 22.0% is below peers and judged a CONCERN in the scorecard D30.
• Labour-market weakness is a concern: unemployment rate 2024 = 9.3% is below peers and judged a CONCERN in the scorecard D31.
• Piped-water access is a concern: households with piped water 2024 = 80.5% is below peers and judged a CONCERN in the scorecard D29.

Options

• Expand rural piped-water and alternative water-supply systems to raise piped-water access and reduce vulnerability; Evidence: limited — the Twelfth Malaysia Plan emphasises expanding rural infrastructure including alternative systems but does not provide district-level impact evaluations R2.
• Strengthen TVET and labour-market linkages to raise participation and reduce unemployment; Evidence: moderate — national strategies prioritise TVET and labour-market reform and similar structural peers are identified for learning and comparison R1D37.
• Improve transport and logistics connectivity to support local manufacturing competitiveness and GDP per capita growth; Evidence: limited — the Twelfth Malaysia Plan sets out strategies to enhance connectivity and transport infrastructure but lacks evaluated district-level results R4.

Uncertainties

• Real GDP after 2020 are modelled nowcasts/projections rather than official DOSM releases, and 2024 gdp_real has an 80% interval RM 608–RM 751 around the central estimate RM 643 D51.
• Median-income projections are modelled for 2025–2027 and have forecast uncertainty (for example 2025 p50 RM 4,600, 80% interval RM 4,232–RM 5,011) and a 2‑year backtest absolute error of 4.7% D43D46.
• The scorecard verdicts are rule-based comparisons to structural peers and indicate directional status versus peers, not causal explanations D26D30.

What data would change this view

• Official DOSM district real GDP series for 2021–2024 would replace modelled nowcasts and reduce uncertainty about recent GDP trajectory D47D51.
• Administrative or survey evidence of changes in piped-water coverage at district level would clarify whether the piped-water CONCERN is closing D29.
• District-level administrative data on programme impacts for labour-market interventions or TVET placements would clarify links between unemployment, participation and poverty outcomes highlighted in the drivers D31D61D62.