Malaysia hits RM261.9bil trade record in April, extends growth to 16 months
According to the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI), total trade surged 18.2 per cent YoY to RM261.94 billion — supported by robust expansion in both exports and imports.
Exports climbed 16.4 per cent to RM133.56 billion, while imports grew 20 per cent to RM128.37 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of RM5.19 billion. This marks the country's 60th straight month of surplus since May 2020.
MITI said the solid export performance was driven largely by higher global demand for manufactured goods, particularly electrical and electronic (E&E) products, which contributed nearly RM16 billion to overall export growth.
Another equally important sector was agricultural goods, especially palm oil and palm oil-based agricultural products, which also played a significant role in supporting the overall expansion in exports.
In terms of markets, strong export growth was posted to major trading partners, namely Asean, China, the United States (US), the European Union (EU), and Taiwan, which reached a new record high.
Overall exports to Free Trade Agreement (FTA) partners also saw a strong rebound.
Among markets that recorded export increases were Mexico, India and the Republic of Korea (ROK), attributed to higher shipments of E&E products.
Meanwhile, during the period January to April 2025, trade, exports and imports recorded the highest periodic value to date.
Trade was up by 7.2 per cent YoY to RM977.61 billion, exports rose 7.3 per cent to RM511.92 billion and imports climbed seven per cent to RM465.69 billion.
Trade surplus recorded double-digit growth of 10.4 per cent to RM46.23 billion.
Net exports contributed to Malaysia's achievement of a 4.4 per cent gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2025 (1Q25), as reported by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).
Additionally, the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) recent report also showed Malaysia's improvement in global trade ranking to 24th position in 2024, from the 26th place in 2023.
In recognition of how global trade challenges may hamper the pace of growth, MITI and its export promotion agency, the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), are intensifying efforts to increase exports while also diversifying Malaysia's export destinations.
In addition to maintaining strong ties with established trade partners, MATRADE is actively exploring emerging markets through strategic initiatives such as international trade fairs, export acceleration missions, business matching programmes and the Madani Digital Trade (MDT) platform.
These initiatives are aimed at empowering Malaysian exporters, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and mid-tier companies (MTCs), to boost their global competitiveness and broaden their international reach.
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