Anwar hails Malaysia’s leap to 27th globally in digital, AI competitiveness

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the achievement was driven particularly by a 21-place improvement in artificial intelligence (AI) adoption to 14th place globally, a 10-place improvement in efficiency to 28th place, and Malaysia’s implementation of the national AI strategy, which ranked 12th. — Bernama pic

First Published: Wednesday, 11 Nov 2026 8:08 PM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 — Malaysia has climbed seven rungs to 27th place out of 70 economies in the IMD World Digital and AI Ranking (WDAIR) 2026 from 34th place last year, becoming the second-highest-ranked country in ASEAN after Singapore.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the achievement was driven particularly by a 21-place improvement in artificial intelligence (AI) adoption to 14th place globally, a 10-place improvement in efficiency to 28th place, and Malaysia’s implementation of the national AI strategy, which ranked 12th.

“Malaysia also ranks 18th in workforce development, second globally in graduates in sciences, fifth in venture capital, sixth in high-tech exports and eighth in investment incentives for AI.

“The Malaysia Digital Action Plan 2030 and the National AI Action Plan 2026-2030 (AI Nation 2030) aim to create up to 300,000 new AI-related jobs and contribute up to an additional 1.2 percentage points to gross domestic product (GDP) growth by 2030,” he said in a post on his official Facebook account today.

He added that under Budget 2027, RM30 million has been allocated through the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) to help 4,000 micro, small and medium enterprises integrate AI and automate their operations.

The allocation will also support the training and certification of 5,000 AI professionals, as well as provide an additional 100,000 free AI subscriptions for youth.

The IMD WDAIR 2026 by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) evaluates 70 economies based on 88 criteria across five key factors: governance, technology and infrastructure, efficiency, workforce Development, and values. — Bernama