Malaysia’s Inflation Reality
April 2026
Malaysia’s headline inflation increased to 1.9% in April 2026, matching the October 2024 level and continuing an upward trend since bottoming out at 1.1% in June 2025.
Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Consumer Price Index April 2026
Data: data.gov.my
Trend
Malaysia: CPI Inflation (%), January 2024 – April 2026
After bottoming out at 1.1% in June 2025, inflation has been steadily climbing.
For context, Malaysia’s inflation has stayed well below the 2024 peak of 2.0%, suggesting price pressures remain manageable, but the upward trend since mid-2025 warrants watching.
By Component
Malaysia: CPI Inflation by Component (%), April 2026
Breaking down the April 2026 figure:
Highest inflation:
Insurance & Financial Services: 4.9%
Personal Care & Miscellaneous: 4.8%
Transport: 4.1%
Moderate inflation:
Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco: 2.8%
Restaurant & Accommodation: 2.6%
Education: 2.4%
Low or negative:
Food & Beverages: 1.2%: Relatively contained, good news for households
Housing & Utilities: 1.1%
Clothing & Footwear: -0.1%: the only deflationary category
By State
Inflation is not uniform across Malaysia:
Highest: W.P. Labuan at 2.7%
Peninsular: Pahang leads at 2.8%, while Kelantan sits lower at 0.8%
East Malaysia: Sabah at 2.1% vs Sarawak at just 0.4%, the widest state-level gap
Updated monthly. Data sourced from DOSM. Visualisations by Zahier Nasrudin | myvizard.com
