Chinese Enquiries for Malaysian Homes Hit Decade High, As They Buy Estimated RM1.6 Billion of Property Per Year

Chinese Enquiries for Malaysian Homes Hit Decade High, As They Buy Estimated RM1.6 Billion of Property Per Year

Kuala Lumpur, 1 September 2026 — New data shows that Chinese demand for Malaysian property surged in the first half of the year, although the type of buyer has shifted from the offshore investors who used to dominate to the expats and families who intend to occupy the homes themselves, said Juwai IQI Co-Founder and Group CEO Kashif Ansari in comments released today.

“Malaysia is now the fourth most popular destination for Chinese property buyers, up from sixth in 2025 and from seventh in 2022, 2023, and 2024, according to Juwai IQI buyer enquiry data,” Mr Ansari said.

“Malaysia’s share of all Chinese overseas buying enquiries has also climbed significantly. Just 2.8% of global enquiries by Chinese homebuyers went to Malaysia in 2024. That number jumped to 4.5% in 2025. In the first half of this year, Malaysia’s share hit a new high of 7.3%. Never before in this decade has Malaysia been so popular with buyers from China.

“For context, Thailand and Australia hold the top two spots with Chinese buyers, while the UK is now third. Malaysia has leaped ahead of the fifth-ranked United States and popular golden visa destination Greece.”

Market Data Supports the Trend Mr Ansari said, “NAPIC’s market data supports the idea that buyers from China are purchasing higher priced homes. For example, in the first quarter, only homes worth RM1 million or more saw the number of sales increase, by 1.8%, compared to a year earlier.

“Homes worth more than RM1 million also made up a larger share of all transactions than in each of the prior two years. They accounted for 9.2% in the first quarter, up from 7.9% in 2024 and 8.3% in 2025.

“The increase in prices and transaction numbers in the highest reaches of the market is evidence of strong buyer interest, and some of those additional buyers are Chinese. “We know exactly where Chinese buyers stood in relation to other foreign buyer groups in the first half of 2025.

Citizens of China were the most active foreign buyers, even above Singapore, and invested RM835 million in residential property. Thus, Chinese buyers accounted for about 51% of the total that all foreigners invested in real estate. If you annualize that number, it works out to 1 more than RM1.6 billion of property investment.

“The new buyer from China is more focused on education and lifestyle. The Chinese educational system is intensely competitive, and some parents decide to move their children to more friendly environments that can also provide a route to international or Chinese universities. Parents are interested in expat hubs like Mont Kiara, Desa ParkCity, and Penang, where quality international schools are available.”

Chinese Take Half of MM2H Visas

Mr Ansari said, ”So, data from NAPIC and Juwai IQI shows Chinese demand climbing, but that’s not all. Malaysia My Second Home is also booming, and more than 50% of MM2H applications are submitted by Chinese applicants.

“Last year, the program approved applications involving 9,038 participants. Those visas earned some RM3.875 billion in economic value for Malaysia. Visa recipients also invested RM1.51 2 billion in real estate.

“Some think that MM2H is losing its appeal, but the reality is quite the opposite. The programme had much lower numbers in years as recent as 2023.

“In fact, only 1,900 applicants were approved in the years 2021, 2022, and 2023, combined. Yet, in 2025 more than 3,000 visas and 9,000 participants obtained approval. MM2H is now approving 67% more people per year than it did then in three years together. That’s significant progress.

“We expect Chinese buyers’ momentum to continue through the second half of the year. Malaysia offers good schools, an attractive lifestyle, an admirable culture, and a predictable path to residency through MM2H. Those factors will keep drawing families and investment to the country.”

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