Malaysia creative and digital economy development

The creative economy in Malaysia has demonstrated resilience, contributing 6.8 percent to the national GDP in 2024. Data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia indicates the sector recorded a 7.1 percent increase from the previous year, with books, press, visual arts, and crafts providing significant gross value added. While growth is evident, small businesses attempting to commercialize design and personalized crafts have faced production challenges regarding costs and turnaround times.

Following this growth, Malaysian economic strategy is shifting toward the ownership and commercialization of intellectual property (IP) to drive long-term value in digital and creative sectors. Ganesh Kumar Bangah, chairman of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), noted that the digital economy must move toward capturing value through Malaysian-owned IP and high-value jobs.

Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd. Nasir has emphasized the importance of the ‘Orange Economy,’ suggesting that Malaysia should transition from mere content production to owning the characters, stories, and technologies that can be licensed across platforms. The creative economy has been officially included in the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK-13).