A Southeast Asian nation comprised of two separate regions divided by the South China Sea, Malaysia has undergone a dramatic economic transformation over the past half-century. An agricultural economy that primarily exported raw materials like rubber and tin as recently as the 1970s, Malaysia experienced an accelerated period of industrialization during the 1980s and 1990s, as it diversified its trade profile and developed an increasingly robust manufacturing base. The World Bank characterized this as "remarkable growth that elevated the nation from low- to upper-middle-income status within a single generation."
Today, Malaysia's GDP is driven by a blend of substantial exports — including palm oil, natural gas, and hardwood — a flourishing tourism business, and the country's emerging role as a major player in the global electronics industry. The country's largest cities, including Kuala Lumpur, George Town, and Johor Bahru, support large-scale production of electronic devices and components, a strong automotive sector, and an outsized role in the worldwide semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem.
