KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 — Malaysia’s trade rose 28.6 per cent on-year to a record RM336.73 billion last month, driven mainly by strong exports of electrical and electronic (E&E) products, said the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry (MITI).
In a statement today, MITI said Malaysia maintained its strong trade momentum in April despite heightened global uncertainties, including geopolitical tensions in West Asia that led to logistics cost hikes, supply chain disruptions and commodity price volatility, with exports and imports reaching record highs.
MITI, which oversees the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), said the exports growth momentum extended for the 10th consecutive month and surged 36.9 per cent to a record RM182.74 billion, surpassing the previous high of RM152.77 billion recorded in December 2025 by RM30 billion, while imports rose 20 per cent to RM153.99 billion.
MITI also said this resulted in a trade surplus of RM28.75 billion, marking the 72nd consecutive month of surplus since May 2020.
“The growth in exports was primarily driven by double-digit expansion in major export products, led by E&E products, which increased by RM28 billion to a record high on the back of strong demand from the artificial intelligence (AI) and automotive electronics segments.
“The expansion was further bolstered by remarkable increases in exports of petroleum products, manufactures of metal, optical and scientific equipment, as well as machinery, equipment and parts,” it said.
MITI added that exports of optical and scientific equipment, as well as machinery, equipment and parts, recorded their highest monthly values on record.
The ministry said exports to all major trading partners, namely, ASEAN, China, the United States, Taiwan and the European Union, recorded strong double-digit growth, with shipments to ASEAN, Taiwan and the EU reaching record highs.
“Malaysia’s extensive network of free-trade agreements (FTAs) continued to facilitate market access and diversify export destinations.
“Leveraging these agreements, exports to FTA partners, such as Hong Kong, South Korea, Australia, India and Turkiye, continued to expand, reaching record highs on sustained demand across a broad range of products,” MITI said.
For the January-April period, MITI said Malaysia’s trade surpassed the RM1 trillion mark within four months, earlier than in the previous year.
Trade during the period rose 15.3 per cent to RM1.127 trillion, with exports increasing 19 per cent to RM609.31 billion and imports growing 11.1 per cent to RM517.4 billion.
“Consequently, the trade surplus doubled from the previous year to RM91.92 billion. Trade, exports, imports and the trade surplus all recorded their highest levels for the period,” it said.
MITI said that despite these positive developments, it would keep monitoring global trade developments with MATRADE and remain proactive in safeguarding Malaysia’s trade resilience to sustain its growth momentum.
