KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 — Malaysia’s total trade surged 53.7 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) to RM396.5 billion in September 2026 from RM258.1 billion a year earlier, supported by strong growth in both exports and imports, the Malaysian Statistics Department (DOSM) said.
Exports rose 54.5 per cent y-o-y to RM215.1 billion, mainly driven by electrical and electronic (E&E) products, while imports increased 52.7 per cent to RM181.4 billion.
In a statement accompanying its Malaysia External Trade Statistics Bulletin for September 2026, DOSM said the trade surplus widened 64.9 per cent to RM33.7 billion, marking the 77th consecutive month of surplus since May 2020.
Export growth was supported by double-digit increases in both domestic exports and re-exports.
Domestic exports, which accounted for 75.3 per cent of total exports, rose 54.7 per cent to RM162.0 billion.
On a month-on-month basis, exports, imports, and total trade rose 12.6 per cent, 11.3 per cent and 12.0 per cent, respectively, from August 2026. The trade surplus increased 20.1 per cent, or RM5.6 billion.
Of the 258 export commodity groups, 161 recorded increases from a year earlier, while 197 of the 256 import commodity groups registered growth.
By trading partner, export growth was led by higher shipments to the United States (US), which rose by RM18.0 billion, followed by Taiwan (RM13.7 billion), Singapore (RM11.9 billion), Hong Kong (RM6.9 billion), the European Union (RM4.2 billion), China (RM3.7 billion), and Thailand (RM3.2 billion).
Import growth was driven mainly by higher inflows from China, which increased by RM21.1 billion, followed by Singapore (RM10.9 billion), South Korea (RM9.1 billion), Taiwan (RM6.9 billion), the US (RM3.0 billion), Vietnam (RM2.8 billion), and India (RM1.8 billion).
By product, export growth was driven primarily by E&E products, which increased by RM45.1 billion, followed by other manufactures (RM14.7 billion), petroleum products (RM3.0 billion), optical and scientific equipment (RM2.4 billion), machinery, equipment and parts (RM2.4 billion), and liquefied natural gas (RM1.7 billion).
Higher imports of E&E products, which rose by RM42.2 billion, also led the increase in imports. Other contributors were machinery, equipment, and parts (RM4.5 billion), petroleum products (RM3.9 billion), manufactures of metal (RM2.6 billion), other manufactures (RM2.0 billion), and chemicals and chemical products (RM2.0 billion).
By end-use category, imports of intermediate goods, capital goods and consumption goods all increased.
Intermediate goods, which accounted for 50.8 per cent of total imports, rose 69.6 per cent y-o-y, or RM37.8 billion, to RM92.1 billion.
Capital goods imports, representing 12.3 per cent of total imports, increased 20.9 per cent to RM22.3 billion, while imports of consumption goods, which made up 6.0 per cent of the total, rose 18.2 per cent to RM10.9 billion.
For January-September 2026, total trade rose 30.1 per cent y-o-y to RM2.9 trillion from RM2.2 trillion a year earlier, supported by exports up 34.0 per cent and imports up 25.7 per cent.
The trade surplus more than doubled, expanding 115.7 per cent y-o-y to RM232.4 billion.
In the third quarter of 2026, total trade rose 44.7 per cent y-o-y, driven by a 46.0 per cent increase in exports and a 43.3 per cent increase in imports.
The trade surplus for the quarter increased 65.1 per cent to RM84.3 billion.
