Median household income
RM 6,563
▲ better than peers (RM 6,090)
1st of 28 in Sabah
DOSM · hh_income_district · 2024
Absolute poverty rate
6.9%
▼ worse than peers (5.7%)
2nd of 28 in Sabah
DOSM · hh_poverty_district · 2024
GDP per capita
RM 7,574
▼ worse than peers (RM 25,674)
23rd of 27 in Sabah
Derived · 2020
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
- +Median income of RM 6,563 (2024) is 8% above its structural peers (RM 6,090), growing 4.0 pp/yr faster than Sabah (2022–2024).Strength
DOSM · hh_income_district · 2024
- +Income growth of 5.1% (2024) is 2.8 pp/yr above its structural peers (2.3%).Strength
Derived · 2024
- +Participation of 73.7% (2024) is 1.1 pp above its structural peers (72.6%), improving since 2023.Strength
DOSM · lfs_district · 2024
- +Gini of 0.289 (2024) is 0.046 below its structural peers (0.335), improving since 2022.Strength
DOSM · hh_inequality_district · 2024
What's holding it back
- −GDP / capita of RM 7,574 (2020) is 70% below its structural peers (RM 25,674).Concern
Derived · 2020
- −Piped water of 93.8% (2024) is 6.2 pp below its structural peers (100.0%), worsening since 2022.Concern
DOSM · hh_access_amenities · 2024
- −Unemployment of 6.1% (2024) is 1.2 pp above its structural peers (4.9%), broadly unchanged 2023–2024.Concern
DOSM · lfs_district · 2024
Mixed signals
- Poverty of 6.9% (2024) is 1.2 pp above its structural peers (5.7%), improving since 2022.
DOSM · hh_poverty_district · 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.
Official: DOSM gdp_district_real_supply (to 2020). Nowcast & projection: model forecast-2026.09.26-74e1d087. Backtest error at 3 years: 8.3% for this district.
Official: DOSM hh_income_district (2019, 2022, 2024). Projection follows Sabah's long-run 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?”
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 (agriculture 2015, agriculture 2016, agriculture 2017…); 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 6,563 vs expected RM 7,255: worse than structure predicts
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 6.9% vs expected 21.3%: better than structure predicts
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.
- 1PenampangSabahServices-led towns & suburbs
- 2PaparSabahServices-led towns & suburbs
- 3SepangSelangorMetropolitan & industrial core
- 4LangkawiKedahServices-led towns & suburbs
- 5Timur LautPulau PinangMetropolitan & industrial core
Putatan improved at least as fast as its ten nearest structural neighbours since 2019.
Lights
Putatan after dark
NASA's Black Marble satellite pictures of the district at night, 2012 against 2025: +78% 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.
Data
Every indicator, with its source
| Indicator | Latest | Year | Trend | Sabah rank | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean household consumption expenditureRM / month | RM 4,188 | 2024 | 3/28 (desc.) | hies_district | |
| Gini coefficient of household incomeindex (0–1) | 0.289 | 2024 | 3/28 | hh_inequality_district | |
| Mean household incomeRM / month | RM 7,377 | 2024 | 3/28 | hh_income_district | |
| Median household incomeRM / month | RM 6,563 | 2024 | 1/28 | hh_income_district | |
| Absolute poverty rate% of households | 6.9% | 2024 | 2/28 | hh_poverty_district | |
| Relative poverty rate% of households | 3.4% | 2024 | 1/28 | hh_poverty_district | |
| Employment-to-population ratio% of working-age | 69.1% | 2024 | 3/27 | lfs_district | |
| Labour forcethousand persons | 34.6 | 2024 | 16/27 (desc.) | lfs_district | |
| Labour force participation rate% of working-age | 73.7% | 2024 | 3/27 | lfs_district | |
| Unemployment rate% of labour force | 6.1% | 2024 | 3/27 | lfs_district | |
| Households with electricity% of households | 100.0% | 2024 | 1/26 | hh_access_amenities | |
| Households with piped water% of households | 93.8% | 2024 | 10/27 | hh_access_amenities | |
| Households with improved sanitation% of households | 100.0% | 2024 | 1/27 | hh_access_amenities | |
| GDP per capitaRM / person / year | RM 7,574 | 2020 | single year | 23/27 | Derived |
| GDP at constant 2015 pricesRM million | 521.1 | 2020 | 19/27 (desc.) | gdp_district_real_supply | |
| Agriculture share of GDP% of GDP | 0.0% | 2020 | 27/27 (desc.) | Derived⚑ DOSM suppresses values below RM5 mil, shown as 0 | |
| Construction share of GDP% of GDP | 3.7% | 2020 | 10/27 (desc.) | Derived | |
| Manufacturing share of GDP% of GDP | 3.9% | 2020 | 15/27 (desc.) | Derived | |
| Mining & quarrying share of GDP% of GDP | 0.0% | 2020 | 13/27 (desc.) | Derived | |
| Services share of GDP% of GDP | 91.6% | 2020 | 1/27 (desc.) | Derived | |
| Population densitypersons / km² | 2,023 | 2025 | 1/27 (desc.) | Derived | |
| Populationthousand persons | 71.0 | 2025 | 18/27 (desc.) | population_district | |
| Population aged 65 and over% of population | 5.1% | 2025 | 21/27 (desc.) | population_district | |
| Non-citizen share of population% of population | 7.2% | 2025 | 19/27 (desc.) | population_district | |
| Real GDP growth, 2015–2020 average% / year | 3.6% | 2020 | single year | 2/27 | Derived⚑ Growth window 2015–2020 |
| Median income growth since 2019% / year | 5.1% | 2024 | single year | 7/27 | Derived⚑ Growth window 2019–2024 |
| Night-light growth, 2015 to latest year% / year | 6.0% | 2025 | single year | 3/27 | Derived⚑ Growth window 2015–2025 |
| Population growth, 2020–latest% / year | 0.6% | 2025 | single year | 24/27 (desc.) | Derived⚑ Growth window 2020–2025 |
| Share of land that is lit at night% of land area | 100.0% | 2025 | 1/27 (desc.) | VNP46A4.002 | |
| Average night-time light radiancenW·cm⁻²·sr⁻¹ | 9.41 | 2025 | 1/27 (desc.) | VNP46A4.002 | |
| Total night-time light (gap-filled)radiance × km² (index) | 270 | 2025 | 11/27 (desc.) | VNP46A4.002 |
Advise
AI Analyst brief
AI-generated · unreviewed draft
Situation
Putatan is classified as a services-led towns & suburbs district . Median household income was RM 5,119 in 2019 . Median household income was RM 6,563 in 2024 . Median income growth since 2019 was 5.1% by 2024 .