KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 — Malaysia recorded a score of 7.57 out of 10 in the ‘Economic Freedom of the World: 2026 Annual Report’, marking its strongest performance since the index was introduced in 1970, according to the Centre for Market Education (CME).

In a statement today, the think tank said Malaysia’s score edged up to 7.57 from 7.55 last year. However, the marginal improvement was insufficient to maintain its 33rd place ranking, with Malaysia slipping two spots to 35th place out of 165 jurisdictions as other countries recorded faster gains.

“Malaysia is far more economically free today than at the start of the century. Its score fell from 6.99 (36th place) in 1995 to 6.12 in 2002 after the Asian financial crisis, as capital controls and policy shocks took hold. It bottomed out at 97th in 2009 but has climbed steadily since,” it said.