About

Overview In 2022, Malaysia was the number 36 economy in the world in terms of GDP (current US$), the number 22 in total exports, the number 23 in total imports, the number 69 economy in terms of GDP per capita (current US$) and the number 28 most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI) .

Exports The top exports of Malaysia are Integrated Circuits ($78.9B), Refined Petroleum ($38.5B), Petroleum Gas ($19.5B), Palm Oil ($17.7B), and Crude Petroleum ($10.2B), exporting mostly to Singapore ($53.8B), China ($48.5B), United States ($44.2B), Japan ($23.6B), and Hong Kong ($21.7B).

In 2022, Malaysia was the world's biggest exporter of Oscilloscopes ($5.99B), Rubber Apparel ($4.78B), Other Vegetable Oils ($1.66B), Rare-Earth Metal Compounds ($690M), and Copper Powder ($664M)

Imports The top imports of Malaysia are Integrated Circuits ($45.1B), Refined Petroleum ($27.1B), Crude Petroleum ($12.2B), Coal Briquettes ($6.43B), and Broadcasting Equipment ($4.38B), importing mostly from China ($82B), Singapore ($35.9B), United States ($18.4B), Chinese Taipei ($17.7B), and Japan ($16B).

In 2022, Malaysia was the world's biggest importer of Aluminium Powder ($292M), Motor vehicle (8701 to 8705) chassis fitted with engine ($152M), and Scrap Tin ($44.1M)

Location Malaysia borders Brunei, Indonesia, and Thailand by land and Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam by sea.

Latest Trends

September, 2020

Historical Data

Yearly Trade

Flow
Color
Depth
Top Export (2022)Integrated Circuits$78.9B
Top Destination (2022)Singapore$53.8B

In 2022, Malaysia exported a total of $378B, making it the number 22 exporter in the world. During the last five reported years the exports of Malaysia have changed by $119B from $259B in 2017 to $378B in 2022.

The most recent exports are led by Integrated Circuits ($78.9B), Refined Petroleum ($38.5B), Petroleum Gas ($19.5B), Palm Oil ($17.7B), and Crude Petroleum ($10.2B). The most common destination for the exports of Malaysia are Singapore ($53.8B), China ($48.5B), United States ($44.2B), Japan ($23.6B), and Hong Kong ($21.7B).

Explore Visualizations

Exports (2022)
[Click to Select a Product]

Destinations (2022)
[Click to Select a Country]

Market Growth

Flow
View
Fastest Growing Export Markets (2021 - 2022)
Japan$4.65B (+ 24.5%)
South Korea$4.32B (+ 44.5%)
Singapore$4.02B (+ 8.07%)
Fastest Growing Import Markets (2021 - 2022)
China$12.3B (+ 17.6%)
Singapore$8.65B (+ 31.8%)
Saudi Arabia$4.85B (+ 177%)

Total Export Growth by Market (2021 - 2022)

Service Trade

Service Trade

Malaysia Exports Services (2019)$37.6B
Malaysia Imports Services (2019)$42.9B

In 2019, Malaysia exported $37.6B worth of services. The top services exported by Malaysia in 2019 were Personal travel ($17.8B), Other business services ($7.06B), Transportation ($5.23B), Computer and information services ($2.99B), and Business travel ($1.97B).

The top services imported by Malaysia in 2019 were Transportation ($11.5B), Personal travel ($10.1B), Other business services ($7.92B), Computer and information services ($3.53B), and Insurance services ($2.34B).

Service Exports (2019)

Service Imports (2019)

Economic Complexity

Overview

Economic Complexity (Trade)0.96Rank 28 of 124
Economic Complexity (Technology)0.59Rank 38 of 96
Economic Complexity (Research)-0.6Rank 92 of 135

Most Specialized Products by RCA Index

Malaysia has a high level of specialization in Platinum Clad Metals (27.1), Copper Powder (26.7), Rubber Apparel (25.4), Palm Oil (19.1), and Other Vegetable Oils (16.3). Specialization is measured using RCA, an index that takes the ratio between Malaysia observed and expected exports in each product.

Most Complex Products by PCI

Export Opportunities by Relatedness

The top export opportunities for Malaysia according to the relatedness index, were Pearls (0.23), Mirrors and Lenses (0.22), Photographic Chemicals (0.22), Crude Petroleum (0.22), and Telephones (0.22). Relatedness measures the distance between a country's current exports and each product. The barchart show only products that Malaysia is not specialized in.

Product Space

The product space is a network connecting products that are likely to be co-exported. The product space can be used to predict future exports, since countries are more likely to start exporting products that are related to current exports. Relatedness measures the distance between a product, and all of the products a country currently specializes in.

Relatedness Space

This network shows the products most related to the production structure of Malaysia. These are products that tend to be co-exported with the products that Malaysia exports. Higher relatedness values ​​indicate greater knowledge, which predicts a greater probability of exporting that product in the future.

Diversification Frontier

Filter
Depth

The Complexity-Relatedness diagram compares the risk vs strategic value of a country's potential export oppotunities. Relatedness is predictive of the probability that a country increases its exports in a product. Complexity, is associated with higher levels of income, economic growth, less income inequality, and lower greenhouse emissions.

Economic Complexity Ranking

Methodology
Scale

During the last 20 years Malaysia's⁩ ⁨economy has become relatively more complex, moving from the ⁩⁨34th to the 28th⁩ position in the ECI rank.

These economic complexity rankings use 6 digit exports classified according to the HS96 classification. We consider only countries with population of at least 1 million and exports of at least $1 billion, and products with world trade over $500 million. To explore different rankings and vary these parameters visit the custom rankings section.

Explore Rankings

ECI (Trade) Ranking by Country

Have questions, comments, or concerns?
Send us an e-mail: [email protected]
Follow @OECtoday on
Created, Designed, and Developed by:
In collaboration with