E&E Products Continue to Drive Export Growth
Malaysia’s trade performance continued its upward momentum in May 2025, marking the 17th consecutive month of year-on-year (y-o-y) growth since January 2024. Trade increased by 2.6% to reach RM252.48 billion and was the highest monthly value ever posted for the month of May. Exports recorded a slight decrease of 1.1% to RM126.62 billion, while imports grew by 6.6% to RM125.86 billion. The country maintained a trade surplus for the 61st consecutive month since May 2020, amounting to RM766.3 million.
Key Markets Show Strong Demand
By destination, exports to key trading partners, including the US and the European Union (EU) recorded robust growth, while exports to Taiwan not only expanded but also attained a new record-high. Exports to Free Trade Agreement (FTA) partners notably the United Kingdom and New Zealand also recorded increases, primarily due to higher shipments of palm oil-based manufactured products.
Record-High Trade Performance for January–May 2025
For the period of January to May 2025, trade, exports and imports achieved their highest cumulative value on record. Trade rose 6.2% to RM1.23 trillion compared to the corresponding period in 2024, with exports expanding 5.5% to RM638.48 billion and imports up by 6.9% to RM591.54 billion. Trade surplus stood at RM46.94 billion, a slip of 9.4%.
Policy Initiatives Strengthen Global Competitiveness
Recognising the impact of global trade uncertainties, MITI and MATRADE are ramping up efforts to build resilience in trade ecosystem. These strategic initiatives are also contributing to Malaysia’s growing global competitiveness. In the World Competitiveness Ranking (WCR) 2025 published recently,
Malaysia advanced 11 spots to the 23rd position among 69 economies (cf. 2024: 34th position). This marked the country’s strongest performance since 2020 and signalled renewed investors’ confidence in Malaysia’s economic governance and policy direction.
