Trade Performance : March 2025 and January - March 2025
MALAYSIA'S MARCH 2025 EXPORTS RECORD HIGHEST MONTHLY VALUE FOR MARCH#
Trade Surplus in March 2025 Nearly Doubled Year-On-Year, Marking a 21-Month High
Malaysia’s trade continued its positive momentum in March 2025, marking the 15th consecutive month of year-on-year (y-o-y) growth since January 2024. Trade rose 2.2% to RM249.89 billion, the highest value ever registered for the month of March. This performance was underpinned by a 6.8% increase in exports to RM137.31 billion, also a record high for March, while imports declined by 2.8% to RM112.59 billion. Trade surplus grew by 94.4% from March last year to reach RM24.72 billion, the highest value recorded since June 2023. This was the 59th consecutive month of surplus since May 2020.
The rise in exports was primarily supported by higher demand for manufactured goods, notably electrical and electronic (E&E) products which recorded the highest monthly value thus far, with an expansion of more than RM12 billion y-o-y. Agriculture goods, particularly palm oil and palm oil-based agriculture products, also contributed to the increase in exports.
In terms of markets, exports to major trading partners namely ASEAN, the United States (US), the European Union (EU) and Taiwan, posted expansion with exports to the US soaring to a new record high. Similarly, higher exports were seen to Free Trade Agreement (FTA) partners such as Hong Kong SAR, Turkiye, Canada and Chile.
On a month-on-month (m-o-m) basis, trade and exports in March 2025 recorded double-digit growth, with trade recording an increase of 11.6% and exports, 16.1%. Imports, on the other hand, rose 6.6%.
For the period of January to March 2025, Malaysia recorded the highest values for first quarter (Q1) trade, exports and imports. Trade for Q1 2025 grew by 3.6% y-o-y to RM715.73 billion. Exports expanded by 4.4% to RM378.36 billion and imports rose 2.8% to RM337.37 billion. Meanwhile, trade surplus recorded double-digit expansion of 20.1% to RM41 billion.
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Trade Performance : March 2025 and January - March 2025
Trade Performance : March 2025 and January - March 2025 (Infographic)
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Prestasi Perdagangan : Mac 2025 dan Januari - Mac 2025
Prestasi Perdagangan : Mac 2025 dan Januari - Mac 2025 (Infografik)
