Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced today that Malaysia's economic growth for the first quarter of 2026 has successfully outperformed initial projections. Speaking at the 2025 National Sports Awards ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, Anwar highlighted that the economy remains highly resilient despite heavy pressures from global oil prices surging past US$100 per barrel due to the ongoing West Asia crisis. 

Initial government projections had assumed crude oil prices would hover around a much lower mark of US$70 per barrel. Despite the volatility in global energy markets and surrounding shipping routes, the country's first quarter real GDP expanded by a strong 5.4% year on year. However, research firm BMI released a report noting that economic growth likely peaked in Q1 and may moderately slow down for the remainder of the year due to global headwinds.

The Prime Minister stressed that economic structural changes and solid domestic fundamentals have kept the nation's financial trajectory on a steady path. He added that the government will continue to closely monitor energy fluctuations to mitigate any direct long term impacts on the general public.