🔀 For Everyone

Data Methodology — How We Source Sabah Statistics | SabahGuide

Last updated: April 2026

How We Source Sabah Statistics

Every number on SabahGuide has a source. This page explains how we select sources, how often we update data, and how we handle the inevitable gaps in Sabah-specific official statistics.

Source Hierarchy

We rank sources in this order of authority. A higher-ranked source always overrides a lower one when figures conflict:

Primary government data

DOSM census, OpenDOSM API, Jabatan Hutan Sabah annual reports, Sabah Tourism Board official data

Sectoral agencies

MPOB (palm oil), PETRONAS annual reports, Kementerian Kerja Raya (Pan Borneo), KKIA Passenger Statistics

Academic research

Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), IUCN Red List, WWF-Malaysia field studies, peer-reviewed journals

Credible media

Borneo Post, Daily Express — only for figures we cannot find in primary sources, always cross-checked

Primary Data Sources

The table below lists our main primary sources and what each one covers:

Source / Agency	Data covered	Update frequency
DOSM / OpenDOSM	Population, GDP, household income, employment, trade	Annual (GDP quarterly estimates)
Sabah Tourism Board	Visitor arrivals, tourism revenue, hotel occupancy	Quarterly + annual
MPOB (Malaysian Palm Oil Board)	Palm oil hectares, yield, CPO price, export value	Monthly + annual
PETRONAS Annual Report	Oil & gas production volumes, state royalties, Sabah contribution	Annual
Jabatan Hutan Sabah	Forest cover area, TPA percentage, concession data	Annual
Sabah Parks	National park areas, visitor counts, ranger data	Annual
IUCN Red List	Wildlife population estimates, conservation status	Periodic (species-specific)
WWF-Malaysia	Orangutan, pygmy elephant, proboscis monkey counts	Periodic surveys
KKIA / Malaysia Airports	Passenger throughput, routes, aircraft movements	Annual
Sabah Ports Authority	Container throughput, cargo tonnage, port infrastructure	Annual
Kementerian Kerja Raya (KKR)	Pan Borneo Highway progress, phase completion, costs	Quarterly
Jabatan Pelajaran Sabah	School counts, enrolment, literacy rates	Annual
UMS (Universiti Malaysia Sabah)	Academic research on Sabah ecology, economy, society	Ongoing

Live Data: DOSM OpenAPI

Two datasets on SabahGuide are fetched live from the OpenDOSM API rather than stored as static JSON:

Population by state — population_state endpoint, used on the Population and Demographics pages
Household income by state — hh_income_state endpoint, used on the Household Income page

These are refreshed by running node scripts/fetch-dosm.mjs, which saves snapshots to src/data/pillar2/live/. The cached files are committed to the repository so the site builds correctly without live API calls at build time. The manifest file live/_manifest.json records the last fetch date.

ℹ️ DOSM API limitations

As of April 2026, DOSM's OpenAPI has limited Sabah-specific breakdown for some indicators (e.g. district-level GDP is not yet published through the API). We use static JSON for these until the API coverage improves. Two endpoints confirmed working: population_state and hh_income_state.

Update Cadence

Each page carries two dates:

📅 Last Updated

The date the page content itself was last edited. Changes include new charts, revised text, or restructured sections.

✅ Last Verified

The date we last confirmed the key statistics are still accurate against their primary sources. A page can be "verified" without being edited.

Our target review cadence by topic type:

Population / GDP / tourism — reviewed annually when DOSM/STB release new reports
Wildlife populations — reviewed when IUCN or WWF publish new assessments
Infrastructure (Pan Borneo, airports) — reviewed quarterly
Geography / climate — reviewed every 2–3 years (stable data)

Handling Data Gaps

Sabah is often underserved in national statistical reporting. We handle this transparently:

Estimates are labelled — any figure that is estimated (vs officially published) is marked "est." or "~"
Ranges over false precision — when data is uncertain we give a range (e.g. "~10,000–12,000 orangutans") rather than a single false-precise figure
Missing data is stated — if district-level data doesn't exist for a topic, we say so
No 2010 Census extrapolation — we don't project 2020 census figures forward without a DOSM estimate to anchor to

Corrections Policy

If you spot an error — a wrong figure, an outdated statistic, or a broken source link — please use the "Report an issue" button on any page (bottom of each statistics page). We aim to correct verified errors within 7 days and note the correction at the bottom of the relevant page.

💡 Researchers & journalists

If you need Sabah data for academic or media work and need help navigating sources, reach out via the contact page. We're happy to point you to the right DOSM dataset or Sabah government department.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q How often is the data updated?

Each page shows a "Last Verified" date. Population data is refreshed annually when DOSM releases new estimates (usually mid-year). Tourism data is updated quarterly by the Sabah Tourism Board. GDP figures are updated annually. The DOSM live API fetch for population by state runs automatically and refreshes cached data.

Q Why do some numbers differ from other sources I've seen?

Differences are common because: (1) different reference years — we cite the specific year for each figure; (2) rounding conventions vary by agency; (3) some sources confuse "Sabah" with "East Malaysia" (which includes Sabah + Sarawak + Labuan). We always specify the exact geography and year.

Q What is DOSM and why do you rely on it?

DOSM is the Department of Statistics Malaysia — the official national statistical agency. Their data is the primary source for population, GDP, household income, and employment figures. We use OpenDOSM (their open data portal) and their published reports. We treat DOSM figures as ground truth unless a more authoritative sector-specific source exists.

Q How do you handle data gaps for Sabah specifically?

Malaysia's national statistics often don't break out Sabah at the level we need. Where Sabah-specific data is unavailable, we: (1) use Sabah state government publications; (2) contact the relevant department directly; (3) clearly mark estimates as such; (4) reference academic papers (UMS, Universiti Malaya) where applicable.

Q Can I use this data in my research or article?

Yes, with attribution. We aggregate and present public data from government agencies. Cite the primary source (e.g. "DOSM, 2025" or "Sabah Tourism Board, 2025") rather than SabahGuide. We provide direct links to every primary source on each page and in our full sources index.

Q How do you handle conflicting data between sources?

When two authoritative sources give different numbers, we: (1) choose the source closest to the primary (e.g. DOSM over a newspaper report); (2) note both figures in the text; (3) flag the discrepancy in our sources reference. We never silently average conflicting figures.

Sources & References 2 sources

Last verified: 11 April 2026