14th CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF TRADE SURPLUS

The Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI), YB Dato' Sri Mustapa Mohamed announced that Malaysia's total trade in 2011 reached RM1.269 trillion, an increase of 8.7% compared with the year 2010, the highest total trade ever recorded. Malaysia's trade performance for the year remained strong despite the slow economic recovery in the United States of America (USA), uncertainties arising from the debt crisis in the Eurozone, pockets of unrest in West Asia following the Arab spring, supply chain disruptions due to the tsunami in Japan and floods in Thailand. These factors impacted global trade for many economies in varying degrees last year.

Exports showed a positive growth with an increase of 8.7% to RM694.55 billion for the year 2011 and imports rose by 8.6% to RM574.23 billion. Trade surplus expanded by 9.4% to RM120.31 billion, making it the 14th consecutive year of trade surplus achieved since 1998. This was comparable to developed countries in the region whereby Singapore and Republic of Korea (ROK) recorded similar achievements.

HIGHEST DECEMBER EXPORTS EVER RECORDED

Malaysia's exports in December 2011 of RM60.74 billion was the highest export value ever registered for the month of December. Exports increased by 6.1% compared with a year ago.

Imports in December 2011 increased by 10.4% to RM52.43 billion compared with RM47.48 billion in December 2010. This was contributed largely by RM2.47 billion increase in imports of intermediate goods which were important inputs for the manufacturing sector. For the first 11 months of 2011, the Industrial Production Index (IPI), which is an indicator of manufacturing activities had expanded by 1.2%. Total trade for the month expanded by 8.1% to RM113.17 billion. A trade surplus of RM8.31 billion was registered.

Compared with November 2011, exports in December 2011 increased by 6.8% while imports rose by 10.7%. Total trade expanded by 8.6%.

The increase in exports in December 2011 of RM3.48 billion from a year ago was largely contributed by higher exports of both manufactures and commodities namely liquefied natural gas (LNG), palm oil, machinery, appliances and parts, rubber products, crude petroleum, chemicals and chemical products, iron and steel products as well as processed food.

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 Trade Performance 2011 (104.42 kB)