PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s achievement in climbing 11 positions to 23rd spot in the 2025 World Competitiveness Ranking (WCR) underscores the strong policy measures and reforms implemented by the government and businesses in strengthening the economic fundamentals and making the nation more competitive on the world stage, said Small and Medium Enterprises Association of Malaysia (Samenta).
Samenta national president Datuk William Ng remarked: “The rise, the highest among all participating economies, reflects progress across key areas of competitiveness, in particular government and business efficiency, both of which improved by eight ranks.”
Notably, he said, Malaysia has improved significantly in eradicating bribery and corruption, boosting private investment in research and development (R&D), reducing bureaucracy and strengthening employment. “Malaysian businesses have demonstrated greater adaptability, productivity and innovation, making our companies more competitive. The country's strong economic growth, low inflation and healthy employment conditions all contribute to this upward trajectory,” said Ng.
“Malaysia’s improvement is particularly noteworthy when we consider it within the Southeast Asia context. Among Asean members, we now outperform Thailand (30th), Indonesia (40th) and the Philippines (51st). Our progress underscores our ability to implement reforms effectively and signals to investors and businesses that Malaysia continues to be a leading destination for investment and growth in Southeast Asia,” he added.
Ng said recent initiatives have played a key role in this progress, especially the rollout of Reformasi Kerenah Birokrasi, which has helped cut red tape and simplified procedures for businesses and citizens.
The Akta Iltizam passed by Parliament in March underscores a strong legislative resolve to ensure efficiency in the public sector, he said, adding that the Corruption Perception Index Task Force, chaired by the chief secretary to the government, is tackling corruption and strengthening institutional integrity.
Furthermore, Ng said, the Business Efficiency Task Force, led by Malaysia Productivity Corporation, is hard at work identifying bottlenecks and improving the ease of doing business across sectors.
“All these initiatives collectively create a more stable, efficient and forward-looking ecosystem for companies to operate and grow.”
The inclusion of Samenta and SMEs in some of these efforts, including the Business Efficiency Task Force and various productivity initiatives, is indicative of the government’s desire to drive the economic reform at all levels, including among their small and medium enterprises, said Ng.
“While we celebrate this progress, we must not become complacent. More needs to be done if we are to realize Ekonomi Madani’s ambitious goal of breaking into the top 12 of the ranking by 2033. To further enhance our competitiveness and move up the ranking, we need to strengthen digital transformation, improve skills and education, cut bureaucracy, provide policy consistency and boost research and development initiatives.
“Providing greater incentives and support for companies, especially SMEs, to leverage technology and innovate is key. Ensuring policy stability and reducing red tape will help businesses operate more efficiently and respond faster to market opportunities,” he remarked.
Ng said these efforts require a whole-of-nation approach as the government alone cannot affect these reforms.
Businesses, he added, including SMEs, must move up the value chain in order for Malaysia to become even more competitive and to future-proof the economy for generations to come.
