Skip to content
SabahKu

Beaufort

Typology: Services-led towns & suburbs · Structural peers: Limbang (Sarawak), Padang Terap (Kedah), Tuaran · Latest survey 2024 · district GDP 2020

WELFAREIncome: 37th percentile in Sabah (2024)IncomePoverty: 56th percentile in Sabah (2024)PovertyGini: 37th percentile in Sabah (2024)GiniGDP/cap: 62th percentile in Sabah (2020)GDP/capSTRUCTUREServices: 65th percentile in Sabah (2020) · descriptiveServicesAgri: 42th percentile in Sabah (2020) · descriptiveAgriMfg: 38th percentile in Sabah (2020) · descriptiveMfgDensity: 50th percentile in Sabah (2025) · descriptiveDensityMOMENTUMInc. growth: 12th percentile in Sabah (2024)Inc.growthGDP growth: 58th percentile in Sabah (2020)GDPgrowthLFPR: 31th percentile in Sabah (2024)LFPRJobless: 17th percentile in Sabah (2024)JoblessACCESSWater: 69th percentile in Sabah (2024)WaterPower: 64th percentile in Sabah (2024)PowerLIGHTSRadiance: 69th percentile in Sabah (2025) · descriptiveRadianceLit area: 62th percentile in Sabah (2025) · descriptiveLit areaLights growth: 69th percentile in Sabah (2025)Lightsgrowth
worse ← percentile in Sabah → betterstructure: lower → higher (not good/bad) boundary change

⚑ Membakut was gazetted out of Beaufort; from 2024 DOSM reports it separately, so Beaufort's later figures cover a smaller area than the map polygon.

Download CSVCompare with peers

Median household income

RM 4,070

≈ in line with peers (RM 3,954)

18th of 28 in Sabah

DOSM · hh_income_district · 2024⚑ Boundary change — excludes Membakut

Absolute poverty rate

20.4%

▼ worse than peers (14.7%)

13th of 28 in Sabah

DOSM · hh_poverty_district · 2024⚑ Boundary change — excludes Membakut

GDP per capita

RM 10,127

≈ in line with peers (RM 10,196)

11th of 27 in Sabah

Derived · 2020

Unemployment rate

9.4%

▼ worse than peers (2.7%)

22nd of 27 in Sabah

DOSM · lfs_district · 2024

Diagnose

What's working, what's holding it back

Rule-based, not a black box: a strength is above its structural peers and not worsening; a concern is below peers and not improving. Thresholds are published.

What's working

No indicator is clearly above peers and holding steady.

What's holding it back

  • −Unemployment of 9.4% (2024) is 6.7 pp above its structural peers (2.7%), broadly unchanged 2023–2024.Concern

    DOSM · lfs_district · 2024

  • −Poverty of 20.4% (2024) is 5.7 pp above its structural peers (14.7%); the 2022–2024 change is not comparable because of a boundary change.Concern

    DOSM · hh_poverty_district · 2024

  • −GDP growth of 0.9% (2020) is 0.9 pp/yr below its structural peers (1.8%).Concern

    Derived · 2020

  • −Gini of 0.373 (2024) is 0.031 above its structural peers (0.342); the 2022–2024 change is not comparable because of a boundary change.Concern

    DOSM · hh_inequality_district · 2024

Mixed signals

  • Participation of 66.4% (2024) is 2.3 pp below its structural peers (68.7%), improving since 2023.

    DOSM · lfs_district · 2024

  • Piped water of 94.1% (2024) is 1.2 pp below its structural peers (95.3%), improving since 2022.

    DOSM · hh_access_amenities · 2024

Project

Where the economy is heading

DOSM last published district GDP for 2020. Values after that are nowcasts built from Sabah's published sector growth, then projections to 2028. Shaded bands are 80% intervals calibrated on backtests; see the model card.
Real GDP, RM million (2015 prices)
6008001,0001,2001,4002016201820202022202420262028OFFICIALNOWCASTPROJECTION1,040
Official: DOSM gdp_district_real_supply (to 2020). Nowcast & projection: model forecast-2026.09.26-74e1d087. Backtest error at 3 years: 4.3% for this district.
Median household income, RM / month (nominal)
RM 4,000RM 4,500RM 5,000201920222024202520262027OFFICIALPROJECTIONRM 4,379
Official: DOSM hh_income_district (2019, 2022, 2024). Projection follows Sabah's long-run trend; Boundary change in 2024 (Membakut): the district's own trend is not used; projection follows the Sabah trend..

Diagnose · why

Luck of the sector mix, or its own merit?

Shift-share splits GDP growth into what Sabah (or Malaysia) grew anyway, what the district's sector mix added, and a competitive effect: how its sectors did against the same sectors elsewhere, the most honest answer to “is it doing well on its own merits?”
Why did Beaufort's GDP change, 2015–2019?
All sectorsBenchmark growth: 102.0 RM milIndustry mix: -10.4 RM milCompetitive (own merit): -18.4 RM mil−2.5% ownMining & quarryingBenchmark growth: 0.0 RM milIndustry mix: 0.0 RM milCompetitive (own merit): 7.4 RM mil+7ServicesBenchmark growth: 56.7 RM milIndustry mix: 40.5 RM milCompetitive (own merit): 7.3 RM mil+7AgricultureBenchmark growth: 35.3 RM milIndustry mix: -53.8 RM milCompetitive (own merit): -19.6 RM mil−20ConstructionBenchmark growth: 6.3 RM milIndustry mix: 5.7 RM milCompetitive (own merit): -12.7 RM mil−13ManufacturingBenchmark growth: 3.7 RM milIndustry mix: -2.8 RM milCompetitive (own merit): -0.8 RM mil−1
RM million, 2015 prices. Benchmark: Sabah (+14.1% over the window). The three effects add up exactly to the actual change. Source: DOSM gdp_district_real_supply; offshore oil & gas (Supra) excluded.
Benchmark growthIndustry mixCompetitive (own merit)

DOSM suppresses sector values below RM5 mil (mining 2015); treated as zero.

Diagnose · associated factors

Above or below what its structure predicts?

A model trained on all Malaysian districts estimates what a district with this structure would typically record. The gap and the factors behind the estimate are associations, not causes.

Median household income, 2024

Actual RM 4,070 vs expected RM 4,313: within model error

Unemployment rate-7.9%GDP per capita (2020)-6.5%Share aged 65++3.1%Population density-2.6%Piped-water access+1.3%Labour force participation+1.0%
How each factor moves the model's expectation relative to an average district (ridge regression, exact linear contributions). Associations, not causes. Cross-validated error ±RM 649.

Absolute poverty rate, 2024

Actual 20.4% vs expected 17.2%: within model error

Unemployment rate+6.3 ppGDP per capita (2020)+1.4 ppAgriculture share of GDP+0.7 ppElectricity access-0.6 ppLabour force participation-0.5 ppManufacturing share of GDP-0.5 pp
How each factor moves the model's expectation relative to an average district (LightGBM, SHAP values). Associations, not causes. Cross-validated error ±4.1%.

Compare

Structural peers

The five districts nationally most similar in economic structure (income level, GDP per capita, sector mix, density, age, labour participation, water access), whatever their state.
  1. 1LimbangSarawakRural economy with mining & quarrying
  2. 2Padang TerapKedahServices-led towns & suburbs
  3. 3TuaranSabahRural economy with mining & quarrying
  4. 4KudatSabahRural economy with mining & quarrying
  5. 5BalingKedahServices-led towns & suburbs

Positive deviance

Among its ten nearest structural neighbours, Setiu (Terengganu) improved fastest since 2019: welfare momentum +8.0 vs +1.7 here (income growth %/yr minus poverty change pp/yr).

Where it differs most:

  • mining share: lower (0.90 → 0.00, √share)
  • GDP per capita: higher (9.22 → 9.62, log)
  • piped-water access: higher (94.14 → 100.00)

A lead to investigate, not a prescription.

Lights

Beaufort after dark

NASA's Black Marble satellite pictures of the district at night, 2012 against 2025: +90% over 13 years. Lights track where people, roads and industry are; they are a proxy, not a measure of output. Play every year on the map.
2012176 · 9th of 27
2025335 · 10th of 27

Data

Every indicator, with its source

IndicatorLatestYearTrendSabah rankSource
Mean household consumption expenditureRM / monthRM 3,54520248/28 (desc.)hies_district⚑ Boundary change — excludes Membakut
Gini coefficient of household incomeindex (0–1)0.373202418/28hh_inequality_district⚑ Boundary change — excludes Membakut
Mean household incomeRM / monthRM 5,048202419/28hh_income_district⚑ Boundary change — excludes Membakut
Median household incomeRM / monthRM 4,070202418/28hh_income_district⚑ Boundary change — excludes Membakut
Absolute poverty rate% of households20.4%202413/28hh_poverty_district⚑ Boundary change — excludes Membakut
Relative poverty rate% of households25.3%202420/28hh_poverty_district⚑ Boundary change — excludes Membakut
Employment-to-population ratio% of working-age60.2%202419/27lfs_district
Labour forcethousand persons33.2202417/27 (desc.)lfs_district
Labour force participation rate% of working-age66.4%202419/27lfs_district
Unemployment rate% of labour force9.4%202422/27lfs_district
Households with electricity% of households100.0%20241/26hh_access_amenities
Households with piped water% of households94.1%20249/27hh_access_amenities
Households with improved sanitation% of households100.0%20241/27hh_access_amenities
GDP per capitaRM / person / yearRM 10,1272020single year11/27Derived
GDP at constant 2015 pricesRM million766.6202013/27 (desc.)gdp_district_real_supply
Agriculture share of GDP% of GDP27.0%202016/27 (desc.)Derived
Construction share of GDP% of GDP4.8%20205/27 (desc.)Derived
Manufacturing share of GDP% of GDP3.2%202017/27 (desc.)Derived
Mining & quarrying share of GDP% of GDP0.8%20206/27 (desc.)Derived
Services share of GDP% of GDP63.6%202010/27 (desc.)Derived
Population densitypersons / km²43202514/27 (desc.)Derived
Populationthousand persons77.4202516/27 (desc.)population_district
Population aged 65 and over% of population6.1%202517/27 (desc.)population_district
Non-citizen share of population% of population7.5%202517/27 (desc.)population_district
Real GDP growth, 2015–2020 average% / year0.9%2020single year12/27Derived⚑ Growth window 2015–2020
Median income growth since 2019% / year1.6%2024single year24/27Derived⚑ Boundary change — excludes Membakut · Growth window 2019–2024
Night-light growth, 2015 to latest year% / year4.7%2025single year9/27Derived⚑ Growth window 2015–2025
Population growth, 2020–latest% / year0.4%2025single year27/27 (desc.)Derived⚑ Growth window 2020–2025
Share of land that is lit at night% of land area10.9%202511/27 (desc.)VNP46A4.002
Average night-time light radiancenW·cm⁻²·sr⁻¹0.1920259/27 (desc.)VNP46A4.002
Total night-time light (gap-filled)radiance × km² (index)335202510/27 (desc.)VNP46A4.002

Advise

AI Analyst brief

AI-generated · unreviewed draft

Situation

Beaufort is classified as a services-led towns & suburbs district with a recent boundary change (Membakut carved out in 2024) .

Median household income in 2024 was RM 4,070, which is in line with its structural peers .

Official real GDP is published to 2020 (RM 766.6 million) and model nowcasts project recovery and gradual growth through 2028 under the baseline scenario .

Recent trends show weak income momentum and persistent labour-market weakness since 2019–2024 .

Read the full brief with sources · Ask a follow-up