Malaysia’s trade surplus narrowed slightly to MYR 24.6 billion in March 2026, from MYR 24.8 billion in the same month last year. Imports rose 10.4% year-on-year to MYR 124.2 billion, driven by higher purchases of capital goods (24.7%), while imports of consumption goods (-7.8%) and intermediate goods (-1.1%) declined. Import growth was strongest from China (27.8%) and Singapore (28.8%), while imports from both Taiwan and the U.S. grew 12.3% each. Meanwhile, exports increased 8.3% year-on-year to a three-month high of MYR 148.8 billion, driven by manufacturing, which expanded 9.6%, particularly in electrical and electronic products (15.0%) and petroleum products (23.7%). By destination, exports increased sharply to the U.S. (18.3%), while shipments to China rose 7.0%, Hong Kong increased 19.2%, and Taiwan surged 45.0%. For the first quarter of the year, the country’s trade surplus reached MYR 63.2 billion, with exports and imports rising 12.7% and 7.7%, respectively. source: Department of Statistics, Malaysia

Malaysia recorded a trade surplus of 24600 MYR Million in March of 2026. Balance of Trade in Malaysia averaged 5048.65 MYR Million from 1970 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 31839.22 MYR Million in September of 2022 and a record low of -4464.53 MYR Million in April of 2020. This page provides the latest reported value for - Malaysia Balance of Trade - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. Malaysia Balance of Trade - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on May of 2026.

Malaysia recorded a trade surplus of 24600 MYR Million in March of 2026. Balance of Trade in Malaysia is expected to be 8000.00 MYR Million by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Malaysia Balance of Trade is projected to trend around 10000.00 MYR Million in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-03-19 04:00 AM
Balance of Trade
Feb MYR16.7B MYR22B MYR20.8B MYR25.0B
2026-04-20 04:00 AM
Balance of Trade
Mar MYR24.6B MYR16.7B MYR 15B
2026-05-20 04:00 AM
Balance of Trade
Apr MYR24.6B


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Balance of Trade 24553.00 16708.00 MYR Million Mar 2026
Capital Flows 12324.00 -11411.00 MYR Million Dec 2025
Current Account 2047.00 12821.00 MYR Million Dec 2025
Current Account to GDP 1.50 1.40 percent of GDP Dec 2025
Exports 148752.00 130952.00 MYR Million Mar 2026
Exports YoY 8.30 10.70 percent Mar 2026
Foreign Direct Investment 27817.00 8468.55 MYR Million Dec 2025
Imports 124199.00 114244.00 MYR Million Mar 2026
Imports YoY 10.40 8.20 percent Mar 2026
Terms of Trade 124.40 124.90 points Mar 2026


Malaysia Balance of Trade
International trade plays a large role in Malaysian economy. Since 1998, Malaysia have been reporting consistent trade surpluses, mainly due to rise in exports of electrical and electronics products. In 2015, the biggest trade surpluses were recorded with Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and United States while the biggest trade deficits with China and Taiwan.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
24553.00 16708.00 31839.22 -4464.53 1970 - 2026 MYR Million Monthly

News Stream
Malaysia Trade Surplus Narrows Slightly
Malaysia’s trade surplus narrowed slightly to MYR 24.6 billion in March 2026, from MYR 24.8 billion in the same month last year. Imports rose 10.4% year-on-year to MYR 124.2 billion, driven by higher purchases of capital goods (24.7%), while imports of consumption goods (-7.8%) and intermediate goods (-1.1%) declined. Import growth was strongest from China (27.8%) and Singapore (28.8%), while imports from both Taiwan and the U.S. grew 12.3% each. Meanwhile, exports increased 8.3% year-on-year to a three-month high of MYR 148.8 billion, driven by manufacturing, which expanded 9.6%, particularly in electrical and electronic products (15.0%) and petroleum products (23.7%). By destination, exports increased sharply to the U.S. (18.3%), while shipments to China rose 7.0%, Hong Kong increased 19.2%, and Taiwan surged 45.0%. For the first quarter of the year, the country’s trade surplus reached MYR 63.2 billion, with exports and imports rising 12.7% and 7.7%, respectively.
2026-04-20
Malaysia Trade Surplus at 3-Month Low
Malaysia’s trade surplus widened to MYR 16.7 billion in February 2026, from MYR 12.6 billion in the same month last year, though it fell short of market expectations of MYR 20.8 billion and marking the smallest trade surplus since November 2025. Imports rose 8.2% year-on-year to MYR 114.2 billion, as purchases increased across all three main categories by end use, namely intermediate goods (0.8%), capital goods (15.4%), and consumption goods (1.5%). Import growth was strongest from China (27.3%), South Korea (86.8%), and Taiwan (36.4%). Meanwhile, exports grew 10.8% year-on-year to an eight-month low of MYR 131 billion, despite higher sales in manufacturing (12.8%), mining (12.3%), and other sectors (30.4%), which offset a decline in agriculture exports (-16.4%). Among trading partners, exports rose the most to the US (42.3%), Taiwan (65.9%), and the EU (33.9%). Considering the first two months of the year, the country's trade surplus reached MYR 38.7 billion.
2026-03-19
Malaysia Trade Surplus Tops Estimates
Malaysia’s trade surplus jumped to MYR 21.37 billion in January 2026 from MYR 3.66 billion a year earlier, far surpassing market expectations of MYR 10.1 billion. Exports rose 19.6% year-on-year, beating market forecasts of 13.7% and accelerating sharply from a marginally revised 10.2% increase in the previous month. It also marked the strongest annual export growth since September 2022, boosted by firm external demand ahead of the Lunar New Year and Ramadan across key Asian markets. Meanwhile, imports grew at a slower pace of 5.3%, easing from a downwardly revised 9.5% gain in December and missing the 9.9% consensus. The softer import growth, which was the mildest since a contraction last August, reflected more subdued domestic demand at the start of the year. In 2025, trade surplus stood at MYR 159.54 billion, up from MYR 139.05 billion in the prior year.
2026-02-20