Malaysia’s Central Bank, Treasury to Review IMF’s Latest Report on Malaysia’s Real GDP, Says PM Anwar

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), April 24 (Bernama) -- Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM or Malaysia’s Central Bank) and the Treasury Department will review the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) latest assessment on Malaysia’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as reported in the April 2025 World Economic Outlook.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that a complete statement will be delivered during the Special Parliamentary Sitting on May 5.

Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said the review of real GDP is not limited to Malaysia but part of a broader global reassessment.

"This is an international revision that includes the United States (US), China, and most countries...they (the GDP figures) are slightly down.

"The government, together with BNM, and the Treasury, will review the report and provide our feedback," he told reporters here, Thursday.

On Wednesday, the IMF, in its April 2025 World Economic Outlook titled 'A Critical Juncture amid Policy Shifts', downgraded Malaysia’s real GDP growth forecast for 2025 to 4.1 per cent from its January estimate of 4.7 per cent. The revision aligns with a broader downward adjustment in regional economic projections.

The IMF also forecast Malaysia’s real GDP to expand by 3.8 per cent in 2026.

Besides Malaysia, the IMF trimmed its global growth projection for 2025 to 2.8 per cent, a reduction of 0.5 percentage point from its January forecast.

Among Malaysia’s regional peers, Indonesia’s 2025 growth outlook was lowered to 4.7 per cent from 5.1 per cent, while the Philippines is now projected to grow by 5.5 per cent compared to an earlier estimate of 6.1 per cent. Thailand’s growth forecast was also revised downward to 1.8 per cent from 2.9 per cent.

-- BERNAMA