According to Xinhua, a report commissioned by the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) estimates that Malaysia’s 2026 haze caused roughly 1,700 deaths, about 8 billion ringgit (≈US$2 billion) in welfare losses, and disrupted a broad swath of industry operations.
The fatality figure sits within a range of 1,300 to 2,300 deaths, all linked to short‑term exposure to fine particulate matter from fire smoke between July 1 and Oct. 22, the report says. Xinhua notes that roughly 1,600 of those deaths were attributed to transboundary smoke originating from fires outside Malaysia. If the agency assumes that fire smoke is no more toxic than other fine particles, the death toll would fall to about 600.
Applying standard benefit‑transfer methods, the FMM estimate equates the 1,700 deaths to a welfare loss of 8 billion ringgit, with an uncertainty range between 3 billion ringgit and 15 billion ringgit, Xinhua reports. The report frames the haze not only as a health crisis but also as an economic one, noting that the most acute impacts were felt by businesses throughout the affected months.
Within the FMM survey of 86 member sites, 69 percent reported some operational impact, while 26 percent reported moderate or significant disruption. The primary driver of these impacts was staff absenteeism, the report indicates, and nearly two‑thirds of firms complained of having already been affected in August or September. Xinhua emphasizes that these figures demonstrate the haze’s widespread effect on productivity and supply chains.
The report also highlights that the majority of the deaths were linked to
