However, international trade and industry minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz said the higher amount received in 2021 included two large one-off investments.
The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) said in a media statement issued later that the new investments for 2022 were for a total of 4,454 new projects that would eventually generate a total of 140,370 new jobs.
It said investors poured RM154 billion into the services sector during the year, making it the biggest recipient of new investments. The investments were for 3,581 new projects.
The manufacturing sector received RM84.3 billion in new investments, making it the second largest recipient, while the primary sector came in third with RM26.3 billion, Mida said at its annual media conference here today.
Foreign investors continued to lead the pack with RM163.3 billion in new investments for the year, accounting for 61.7% of the total, while domestic direct investments made up the remaining RM101.3 billion or 38.3% of the total.
China was the leader in bringing new investments into Malaysia. Foreign direct investments from China amounted to RM55.4 billion or 33.9% of the total last year.
The US was second with 17.9% of the total while the Netherlands (with 12.5%), Singapore (8.3%) and Japan (7%) rounded off the top five.
Johor received RM70.6 billion in new investments last year, making it the state that drew the most money from investors.
Selangor, with RM60.1 billion in new investments was second, with Sarawak (RM28.2 billion) coming in at third place.
Rounding off the top five were the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur with RM25 billion in new investments and Penang with RM16.3 billion.
Tengku Zafrul singled out the new investments from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Mamee Double Decker Distribution Sdn Bhd as the notable ones.
AWS is locating its regional headquarters and hub in Kuala Lumpur to manage its supply chain and is expected to employ a total of 63,464 people in IT services and integrated logistics services.
Tengku Zafrul said the new investments showed that Malaysia could still retain its status as a preferred investment destination.
He said the manufacturing, services and primary sectors have demonstrated their resilience in the face of economic challenges.
“New realities such as climate change demonstrated the importance of investing in sustainable technologies and solutions,” he said.
“Miti is taking sustainability seriously as we craft policies to incentivise companies and industries to help us lay the groundwork for a more sustainable and equitable world,” he added.
Tengku Zafrul said the government also wants to attract the right investments that will support local small and medium-sized enterprises as well as supply chains to create more job opportunities.
“Ultimately, it is about achieving inclusive socio-economic benefits to secure a brighter future for all Malaysians,” he added.