Kuala Lampur, Oct. 23 -- KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 - Malaysians are still classified as "happy" as wages have recovered to above pre-Covid-19 levels, despite household spending rising rapidly among lower-income households, the Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) found in a recent survey.

The report, titled "From Income to Wellbeing: The State of Households 2026", said median monthly household income reached RM7,017 in 2024, while labour force participation rose to 70.6 per cent that year.

Putrajaya recorded the fastest wage growth, with median monthly household income rising from RM2,700 in 2010 to more than RM4,500 in 2024.

However, the report also noted that nearly half of Malaysian households (46.2 per cent) lived in 22 of the country's 16...