Malaysia's Rapid Rise to Prosperity

Malaysia went from one of the poorest countries in Asia to a high income nation in just seventy

years. In the 1950s, most Malaysians were dirt poor farmers living under British

colonial rule with almost no infrastructure or industry. Most Malaysians were living in rural

poverty with an economy based entirely on rubber plantations and tin mining. Today,

Kuala Lumpur has skyscrapers that rival Dubai and a tech industry competing with Singapore.

When Malaysia gained independence in 1957, the average income was lower than Ghana.

Most people lived in rural villages without electricity or running water. The cities were

underdeveloped and there was barely any manufacturing. The country looked like it was destined