18.04.202504:10:45UTC+00Malaysia Export Growth at 3-Month High

In March 2025, Malaysia's exports surged by 6.8% compared to the previous year, reaching a three-month peak of MYR 137.3 billion. This growth exceeded expectations, which were set at 3.3%, and outpaced the 6.2% increase recorded in February. This marks the sixth straight month of expansion in export activity, with the latest rate being the quickest in the last three months. When examining sectors, the manufacturing industry saw an uplift of 8.9%, primarily driven by a 25.1% increase in electrical and electronic products, and a 12.3% rise in machinery and equipment. Agricultural exports grew by 5.4%, bolstered mainly by palm oil and related products, which increased by 3.3%, and natural rubber, which surged by 12.1%. However, exports in the mining sector fell sharply by 16.6%, affected by declines in liquefied natural gas at 11.0% and crude petroleum at 43.6%. Exports to Singapore increased by 9.7%, to the US by a significant 50.8%, to Hong Kong by 25.9%, to Thailand by 5.0%, and to the EU by 10.6%. In contrast, exports to China and Japan declined by 1.3% and 7.9%, respectively. Overall, for the first quarter of 2025, exports rose by 4.4% to MYR 378.37 billion. In the preceding year, 2024, total exports grew by 5.7%, reaching MYR 1.51 trillion.