Our sources

Good stories start with good sources.

We turn official public statistics into everyday explanations. The source always stays within reach.

1. Start with the publisher

Our featured statistics come from DOSM. data.gov.my also gives you access to public datasets from other Malaysian agencies. The directory on our homepage is a saved copy of its published catalogue, not a claim that every dataset has been analysed here.

2. Keep the meaning intact

We check the series, units, population covered and comparison period. We convert thousands to people explicitly, use the correct denominator for rates, and compare state estimates from the same year.

3. Publish a checked snapshot

Stories are rendered from a validated local snapshot, so an unavailable API does not turn a working page into an empty card. The data period and the date we checked the source are different labels. This edition was checked on 28 September 2026; it is not a live feed.

4. Keep an audit trail

The publication data can be downloaded from each story. Our build checks labour-force arithmetic, the unemployment denominator, the 16 unique state and territory records, and their reconciliation with the national estimate. Updated source files must pass these checks and an editorial review before publication.

5. Be clear about limitations

Estimates can be revised. A national average is not everyone’s experience. A headline is rounded for readability; the explanation retains the published precision. Source datasets are credited under CC BY 4.0.

About this project

Data-Lah is an independent project, not an official government service. Explanations and translations are prepared with AI assistance and checked against the cited sources; they are not endorsements by the source agencies. Saved stories are stored only in your browser. No analytics or advertising trackers are installed in this version.