KUALA LUMPUR: Chinese nationals top Malaysian home purchases for the first half of 2025 according to residential property data from the Valuation and Property Services Department.

Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said buyers from China recorded 329 transactions worth RM834.65 million, making them the largest group of foreign property buyers in Malaysia.

The second-largest group was Singaporean buyers, with 320 transactions worth RM518.27 million. Indian buyers ranked third with 47 transactions worth RM87.16 million, said Nga in a written parliamentary reply to PAS MP Ismail Abdul Muttalib (Maran) on Tuesday.

Other key foreign buyers came from the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Hong Kong, the United States, South Korea, Taiwan, and Australia, he said.

Malaysian citizens recorded 119,394 residential property transactions in the first half of this year, with a total transaction value of RM47.47 billion. Non-citizens, meanwhile, recorded 913 transactions worth a total of RM1.904 billion.

Non-citizen transactions accounted for 0.76% of the total number of property transactions and 3.8% of total transaction value, indicating that the local property market continues to be dominated by local buyers, he said.

Under Budget 2026, the government has proposed raising the stamp duty for foreign individuals and foreign companies purchasing residential properties—from the previous 4% to 8%.

“This move will increase government revenue from stamp duties on residential property transfers and help regulate the property market to ensure that locals can continue to afford home ownership,” he said.