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EMGS: International students generate RM20b a year for Malaysia’s economy, each contributing an estimated RM10,000 monthly
Malaysia's international students contribute about RM20 billion a year to the economy, with each spending roughly RM10,000 monthly, according to EMGS. The agency aims to boost numbers by 23% over three years and attract 500,000 by 2035.
Malaysia's international student population, currently estimated at around 167,000, injects approximately RM20 billion (US$5 billion) into the national economy each year, according to figures cited by Novie Tajuddin, Chief Executive Officer of Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS). The figure, based on an EMGS study, accounts for spending on tuition fees and living expenses. Each student spends an average of about RM10,000 a month during their stay, the study found.
Tajuddin shared these figures during the 'Malaysian Cultural Discovery Community Immersion' programme, held at Pantai Teluk Ketapang from August 21 to 23. He noted that the economic impact extends beyond university grounds, benefitting local communities and service sectors such as housing, food, and transportation in areas where students are based. He cited Terengganu as an example, saying universities like Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) bring positive social and economic benefits to surrounding communities.
"With 167,000 international students currently in Malaysia, this has an impact of about RM20 billion annually on the national economy," Tajuddin said, as reported by Malay Mail.
Promotional Push and Future Targets
According to EMGS, Malaysia is now recognized as one of the world's top 14 higher education destinations, a position that Tajuddin says reflects a growing preference for the country among international students. While the UK, US, Australia, and Canada were traditionally the preferred choices, Malaysia is increasingly considered.
The number of international students has risen by about 23% over the past three years, EMGS reports. The country aims to attract 500,000 international students by 2035, as outlined in its 10-year higher education blueprint.
To reach this goal, EMGS plans to promote Malaysian higher education institutions across approximately seven to eight regions worldwide. The top five countries of origin for international students are China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.
Most international students are pursuing postgraduate programmes at both public and private institutions, according to EMGS.
How each outlet told it
Vietnam+ (VietnamPlus)
Framing: Emphasizes the economic contribution of foreign students (5 billion USD) and does not specify the source (EMGS) or the event. — Descriptive and promotional: uses phrases like 'generating positive economic and social impacts' and 'emerging as a competitor' to present the development favorably.
Facts Included:
About 167,000 international students contribute approximately 20 billion MYR (5 billion USD) annually to Malaysia’s economy.
Figure cited by Novie Tajuddin, CEO of Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS), at a Malaysian culture exploration programme held from August 21 to 23 at Pantai Teluk Ketapang.
EMGS is under Malaysia’s Ministry of Higher Education and promotes international education and supports management of international students.
An EMGS study found each international student spends an average of around 10,000 MYR per month.
International students benefit local communities and service sectors in areas where they live and study, including housing, food, transportation.
Malaysia is regarded as one of the world's top 14 higher education destinations.
UK, US, Australia and Canada were traditionally top choices; Malaysia is now increasingly considered.
Number of international students in Malaysia rose about 23% over the past three years.
Malaysia aims to attract 500,000 international students by 2035, aligned with its 10-year higher education blueprint.
EMGS plans to reach out to seven to eight regions worldwide to promote Malaysian higher education institutions.
China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan are the five countries with the largest numbers of students in Malaysia.
International students attend public and private institutions, majority pursuing postgraduate programmes.
Framing: Headline emphasizes the economic contribution (RM20b) and the per-student monthly figure (RM10,000), and attributes it to EMGS. — Informative and slightly promotional, using a direct quote from the official and including local color (e.g., the three-legged race) to humanize the event.
Facts Included:
About 167,000 international students contribute around RM20 billion annually to Malaysia’s economy through spending on tuition fees and living expenses.
EMGS CEO Novie Tajuddin said this based on an EMGS study.
Each international student spends an average of about RM10,000 a month.
Impact of RM20 billion annually on the national economy.
Example: if they study at universities in Terengganu such as Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), surrounding communities benefit.
Spoken at the 'Malaysian Cultural Discovery Community Immersion' programme at Pantai Teluk Ketapang on August 22, 2026.
Presence of international students stimulates local economic activities, including food and service businesses.
Malaysia is one of the world’s 14 leading higher education destinations.
Previously only UK, US, Australia and Canada were top choices; Malaysia now on the list.
Number of international students increased by about 23% over past three years.
Malaysia aims to attract 500,000 international students by 2035, as outlined in the 10-year Malaysia Higher Education Blueprint.
Quote: 'We currently have 167,000 international students. Insya-Allah, we are undertaking many initiatives to increase the number, and this is just one of them.'
Will go to various parts of the world, covering about seven to eight regions, to promote Malaysian higher education.
Five main countries: China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
Most international students are postgraduate students; overall includes students at IPTAs and IPTS.
First published Sunday, 23 Aug 2026 12:24 PM MYT, last modified 12:33 PM MYT.
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimAbout 167,000 international students contribute approximately 20 billion MYR (5 billion USD) annually to Malaysia’s economy through tuition fees, living expenses and other related spending.
ClaimEducation Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) plans to reach out to around seven to eight regions worldwide to promote Malaysian higher education institutions.
ClaimThe figure of approximately 20 billion MYR annually was cited by Novie Tajuddin, Chief Executive Officer of Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS), during a Malaysian culture exploration programme held from August 21 to 23 at Pantai Teluk Ketapang.
ClaimEMGS is an organisation under Malaysia’s Ministry of Higher Education responsible for promoting international education and supporting the management of international students in the country.
ClaimThe presence of international students benefits local communities and service sectors in areas where students live and study, including housing, food, transportation and other services.
ClaimCountries such as the UK, the US, Australia and Canada were traditionally the top choices for international students, but Malaysia is now also among the destinations being considered by an increasing number of foreign students.
ClaimNovie Tajuddin said, "We currently have 167,000 international students. Insya-Allah, we are undertaking many initiatives to increase the number, and this is just one of them."
ClaimNovie Tajuddin said, "Previously, only four countries, namely the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Canada, were often the top choices for international students, but Malaysia is now also on the list."
ClaimNovie Tajuddin said, "With 167,000 international students currently in Malaysia, this has an impact of about RM20 billion annually on the national economy."
ClaimNovie Tajuddin said, "For example, if they study at universities in Terengganu such as Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), the surrounding communities also benefit from the positive social and economic impact."