PETALING JAYA: Over 1.2 million Malaysians are still living in poverty, says Datuk Mustapha Sakmud (pic). Mustapha said no Malaysians were categorised as living in hardcore poverty. “The categorisation of poverty depends on household per capita income and is based on a calculation formula provided by the Economy Ministry. “Meanwhile, hardcore poverty status is determined based on the current Poverty Line Income, which is periodically revised to reflect changes in the cost of living, food prices, inflation rate and location-specific costs. Mustapha was responding to a question from Jeli MP Zahari Kechik on the current number of poor and hardcore poor households listed under eKasih and the government’s initiatives to eradicate hardcore poverty.

Source: The Star February 01, 2026 06:11 UTC