Malaysia recorded a sharp increase in flood incidents in 2024, highlighting the growing impact of global climate change on the country’s environment, according to the Compendium of Environment Statistics, Malaysia 2025 released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
Flood cases rose to 1,345 incidents in 2024, a significant jump from 809 cases in 2023. Sarawak was the worst-affected state, recording 459 incidents, followed by Terengganu with 199 cases and Kedah with 101 cases.
Despite the rise in extreme weather events, temperature readings showed a mixed trend. Data from 42 monitoring stations indicated that 33 stations recorded a decrease in maximum mean temperatures, ranging between 0.1°C and 1.3°C, compared with the previous year. Only two stations saw marginal increases. Chuping in Perlis registered the highest mean temperature at 32.0°C, while Cameron Highlands recorded the lowest at 17.0°C.
Rainfall patterns also shifted in 2024, with 22 stations reporting higher annual rainfall, increasing by between 51.0 mm and 2,230.9 mm. Kapit in Sarawak recorded the highest rainfall at 5,624.0 mm, surpassing Mulu’s 2023 record of 5,213.6 mm. Kapit also saw the largest year-on-year increase in rainfall, at 2,230.9 mm. In contrast, Kuala Pilah recorded the lowest annual rainfall at 1,704.3 mm, compared with Keningau’s 1,429.2 mm in 2023.
Environmental pressures were also evident in waste generation. Clinical waste rose by 11.8% in 2024, reaching 46.7 thousand metric tonnes, after declining for two consecutive years. Selangor generated the highest volume at 11.8 thousand metric tonnes, followed by Kuala Lumpur (5.1 thousand metric tonnes) and Sarawak (5.0 thousand metric tonnes).
On the mobility and tourism front, Malaysia’s airports handled 97.2 million passengers in 2024, a 14.4% increase from 85.0 million passengers in 2023, reflecting continued recovery in air travel. However, passenger numbers remained below pre-pandemic levels of 109.5 million recorded in 2019.
Tourism activity continued to rebound, with data from the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) showing that the Total Gross Value Added of Tourism Industries increased to RM291.9 billion in 2024, up from RM271.9 billion in 2023.
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