Malaysia

Summary
Malaysia shows a moderate and stable level of digital dependence. The DDI value remained close to 0.65 throughout the period, ending slightly lower at 0.63 in 2023. Dependence on ICT patents remained complete (1.0), while platform dependence stayed consistently high at around 0.97 to 0.99. Malaysia achieved a gradual reduction in dependence on trade in ICT goods, declining from 0.37 in 2010 to 0.31 in 2023. However, dependence on trade in ICT services fluctuated, increasing until the mid-2010s before declining and getting close to 0.54 in 2023.

Policies
Malaysia's digital policies between 2020 and 2026 appear to have focussed on the topic of cybersecurity: While the “Malaysia Cyber Security Strategy” from 2020 replaced an older roadmap and aimed to boost national cyber preparedness, the 2024 "Cyber Security Act" expanded this priority: The law shall protect the country's critical infrastructure and streamline digital defence operations.