What the 13th Malaysia Plan Promises Sabah (2026–2030)

What is the 13th Malaysia Plan?

The Thirteenth Malaysia Plan (RMK13) is the federal government's development plan for 2026 to 2030. It was published in 2025 by the Ministry of Economy and sets growth targets for every state and region, plus the projects the federal government intends to fund. A total of RM430 billion is allocated for federal development spending over the five years, for the whole country.

This page pulls out only what RMK13 says about Sabah, in plain English. Where a promise has a date that has already passed or a newer figure exists, we say so. RMK13 is a plan, not a guarantee.

How fast is Sabah's economy supposed to grow?

RMK13 targets Sabah's GDP to grow 5.8% a year from 2026 to 2030, nearly double the 3.1% a year recorded in the 12th Plan period (2021–2025). At constant 2015 prices, that means going from RM84.3 billion in 2024 to RM120.1 billion in 2030.

The Sabah Region (Sabah plus Labuan) has the highest growth target of any region: 5.8%, against 5.2% for the Northern Region, 5.1% for the Southern Region, 5.0% for the Central Region, 4.7% for the Eastern Region and 4.6% for Sarawak.

Source: RMK13 Appendix, Table 5 (GDP by state, constant 2015 prices) and Table 6 (GDP by region). 12th Plan growth uses a Ministry of Economy estimate for 2025.

The biggest change the plan counts on is oil and gas: mining shrank 0.9% a year in the 12th Plan but is targeted to grow 5.4% a year. Services, which include tourism, trade and government, are expected to do most of the work in absolute ringgit.

For the latest actual growth figures, see our Sabah economy page, which uses DOSM's 2025 state GDP release.

Will Sabah households earn more?

RMK13 targets the Sabah region's median monthly household income to rise from RM4,921 in 2024 to RM5,780 in 2030, an increase of RM859. In 2024 that was the lowest of all six regions; the Central Region was RM10,378 and Sarawak RM5,440.

The plan also aims to narrow the gap in GDP per person. In 2024 the Central Region's GDP per capita was 2.4 times Sabah's. The target is to bring that down to 2.1 times by 2030. Sarawak is already level with the Central Region at 1.0 to 1.0.

Which roads and links are promised?

RMK13 promises that the remaining Pan Borneo Highway packages in Sabah, the Sarawak-Sabah Link Road and the Trans Borneo Highway will be completed during 2026 to 2030.

The plan is frank about the starting point: as at December 2024, only 4 of the 35 work packages for the Pan Borneo Highway in Sabah had been completed, against 9 of 11 in Sarawak. For current progress by phase, see our Pan Borneo Highway page.

Nationally, RMK13 also targets building or upgrading 2,800 km of rural paved roads by 2030, up from 2,436 km in the 12th Plan, and says port capacity in Sabah and Sarawak will be increased.

What does it promise on power and the environment?

RMK13 targets renewable energy to make up 40% of Sabah's installed power capacity by 2030, up from 15% in 2024. That is the biggest jump of any area in the plan: Malaysia overall goes from 29% to 35%, Peninsular Malaysia from 25% to 30%, and Sarawak, already mostly hydro, from 62% to 60%.

Note that this is a target for capacity, not for the electricity actually generated. Our guide to Sabah's energy roadmap explains the difference and what it means for your bill.

• Carbon credits: RMK13 says Bursa Carbon Exchange held the first auction of Malaysian carbon credits in 2024, selling more than 20,000 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent credits from Sabah's Kuamut Rainforest Conservation Project.
• Floods: the Sungai Likas flood mitigation project in Kota Kinabalu is named among the flood projects to be expedited. An AI-based flood early warning system for major river basins is budgeted at RM398 million nationwide.

What is in it for Anak Negeri Sabah and rural areas?

RMK13 reports that the mean household income of Anak Negeri Sabah rose from RM5,087 in 2019 to RM5,836 in 2024. As at June 2025, 68,765 hectares of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land had been surveyed, involving 36,368 beneficiaries, and 3,067 people had been trained in handicraft production.

For 2026 to 2030, the plan promises continued work on NCR land survey and titles, basic amenities, financing and commercial premises for Anak Negeri Sabah, and an integrated economic framework and action plan at state level.

For what native customary rights are under Sabah law and how claims work, see NCR land in Sabah explained.

For rural and settlement communities in Sabah and Sarawak, the plan promises more schools, clinics, community halls, broadband and better housing, without Sabah-specific numbers.

What else in RMK13 affects Sabah?

• Foreign workers: a national cap of 10% of the workforce by 2030 and 5% by 2035, with a Multi-Tier Levy from 2026. This matters for Sabah's plantations and construction.
• Industry: the expansion of the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP) is credited with bringing Sabah more investment in the 12th Plan.
• Food and the sea: a corridor spanning east-coast Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak is to be developed as a food production hub, Sabah is named as a possible blue economy hub, and the Sabah and Sarawak tagal river-management system is to be extended to Peninsular Malaysia.
• Planning law: the plan says the federal Town and Country Planning Act 1976 (Act 172) will be extended to Sabah and Sarawak for national spatial planning.

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