Comparing the wealth of nations, given how quickly fortunes can change nowadays, keeps armies of statisticians, economists and bureaucrats busy throughout the year. Figures about economic growth over regular time intervals are eagerly awaited by the general public and the mass media.
One popular way of measuring Malaysia and Penang lie in terms of economic health and wealth is through per capita income, which derived by dividing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for a region by its population.
At the same time, how far an economy has developed is based on whether it is in the agricultural and/or natural resources stage, the manufacturing stage, or the services stage.
