KUALA LUMPUR, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia recorded overall flood-related losses of 933.4 million ringgit (210.58 million U.S. dollars) in 2024, up from 755.4 million ringgit in 2023, official data showed Wednesday.
The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said in a statement that the flood-related losses were equivalent to 0.05 percent of the nominal gross domestic product (GDP) last year, compared to 0.04 percent in the previous year.
The reported losses include the value of damage to living quarters, vehicles, businesses, and industrial premises.
The highest losses were recorded in living quarters, surging to 372.2 million ringgit in 2024 from 168.3 million ringgit in 2023, followed by public assets and infrastructure at 303.4 million ringgit, down from 380.7 million ringgit in 2023.
Meanwhile, the agriculture sector's losses increased to 185.2 million ringgit, up from 120.6 million ringgit in 2023.
Business premises recorded 54.1 million ringgit losses, climbing from 53.2 million ringgit in 2023.
Vehicle damages, on the other hand, amounted to 17.3 million ringgit, down from 22.3 million ringgit in 2023.
The manufacturing sector experienced the lowest impact at 1.2 million ringgit, falling from 10.3 million ringgit in 2023.
"Moving forward, reinforcing adaptive infrastructure, improving flood defenses, and optimizing resource allocation will be key to safeguarding long-term economic resilience and stability," said the DOSM. (1 ringgit equals 0.23 U.S. dollar) ■
