Malaysia Trade Competitiveness Dashboard

Compare Malaysia’s major trade sectors by competitiveness using exports, imports, trade balance, export orientation, and calculated sector competitiveness score based on official Malaysia open data.

Latest Malaysia Trade Competitiveness: September 2026

The figures below rank Malaysia’s major trade sectors by calculated trade competitiveness.

Total Exports RM 215,112,665,290 (RM 215.11 billion)

Total Imports RM 181,388,948,021 (RM 181.39 billion)

Trade Surplus RM 33,723,717,269 (RM 33.72 billion)

Most Competitive Sector Machinery and Transport Equipment

Malaysia Sectors Ranked by Trade Competitiveness

The cards below rank sectors using a calculated competitiveness score. The score is for general comparison only and is not an official government rating.

Rank 1

Machinery and Transport Equipment

Competitiveness Score 82.57/100 — Very Competitive

Exports RM 120,454,894,577 (RM 120.45 billion)

Imports RM 106,023,508,309 (RM 106.02 billion)

Total Trade RM 226,478,402,886 (RM 226.48 billion)

Trade Surplus RM 14,431,386,268 (RM 14.43 billion)

Export-to-Import Ratio 1.14 : 1

Export Share of Sector Trade 53.19%

Share of Listed Exports 56.00%

Rank 2

Miscellaneous Manufactured Articles

Competitiveness Score 51.67/100 — Moderately Competitive

Exports RM 33,083,213,536 (RM 33.08 billion)

Imports RM 12,868,895,794 (RM 12.87 billion)

Total Trade RM 45,952,109,330 (RM 45.95 billion)

Trade Surplus RM 20,214,317,742 (RM 20.21 billion)

Export-to-Import Ratio 2.57 : 1

Export Share of Sector Trade 71.99%

Share of Listed Exports 15.38%

Rank 3

Animal and Vegetable Oils, Fats and Waxes

Competitiveness Score 29.00/100 — Limited Competitiveness

Exports RM 7,147,731,175 (RM 7.15 billion)

Imports RM 1,527,157,228 (RM 1.53 billion)

Total Trade RM 8,674,888,403 (RM 8.67 billion)

Trade Surplus RM 5,620,573,947 (RM 5.62 billion)

Export-to-Import Ratio 4.68 : 1

Export Share of Sector Trade 82.40%

Share of Listed Exports 3.32%

Rank 4

Mineral Fuels, Lubricants and Related Materials

Competitiveness Score 22.05/100 — Limited Competitiveness

Exports RM 20,538,187,025 (RM 20.54 billion)

Imports RM 20,750,097,898 (RM 20.75 billion)

Total Trade RM 41,288,284,923 (RM 41.29 billion)

Trade Deficit RM -211,910,873 (RM -211.91 million)

Export-to-Import Ratio 0.99 : 1

Export Share of Sector Trade 49.74%

Share of Listed Exports 9.55%

Rank 5

Commodities and Transactions Not Elsewhere Classified

Competitiveness Score 19.80/100 — Low Competitiveness

Exports RM 3,014,581,520 (RM 3.01 billion)

Imports RM 1,428,011,656 (RM 1.43 billion)

Total Trade RM 4,442,593,176 (RM 4.44 billion)

Trade Surplus RM 1,586,569,864 (RM 1.59 billion)

Export-to-Import Ratio 2.11 : 1

Export Share of Sector Trade 67.86%

Share of Listed Exports 1.40%

Rank 6

Manufactured Goods Classified Chiefly by Material

Competitiveness Score 17.87/100 — Low Competitiveness

Exports RM 12,427,159,936 (RM 12.43 billion)

Imports RM 13,533,747,877 (RM 13.53 billion)

Total Trade RM 25,960,907,813 (RM 25.96 billion)

Trade Deficit RM -1,106,587,941 (RM -1.11 billion)

Export-to-Import Ratio 0.92 : 1

Export Share of Sector Trade 47.87%

Share of Listed Exports 5.78%

Rank 7

Chemicals and Related Products

Competitiveness Score 15.24/100 — Low Competitiveness

Exports RM 8,953,816,716 (RM 8.95 billion)

Imports RM 11,749,531,349 (RM 11.75 billion)

Total Trade RM 20,703,348,065 (RM 20.70 billion)

Trade Deficit RM -2,795,714,633 (RM -2.80 billion)

Export-to-Import Ratio 0.76 : 1

Export Share of Sector Trade 43.25%

Share of Listed Exports 4.16%

Rank 8

Food and Live Animals

Competitiveness Score 12.60/100 — Low Competitiveness

Exports RM 4,834,780,427 (RM 4.83 billion)

Imports RM 7,086,989,476 (RM 7.09 billion)

Total Trade RM 11,921,769,903 (RM 11.92 billion)

Trade Deficit RM -2,252,209,049 (RM -2.25 billion)

Export-to-Import Ratio 0.68 : 1

Export Share of Sector Trade 40.55%

Share of Listed Exports 2.25%

Rank 9

Crude Materials, Inedible, Except Fuels

Competitiveness Score 12.68/100 — Low Competitiveness

Exports RM 4,406,002,735 (RM 4.41 billion)

Imports RM 6,108,990,113 (RM 6.11 billion)

Total Trade RM 10,514,992,848 (RM 10.51 billion)

Trade Deficit RM -1,702,987,378 (RM -1.70 billion)

Export-to-Import Ratio 0.72 : 1

Export Share of Sector Trade 41.90%

Share of Listed Exports 2.05%

Rank 10

Beverages and Tobacco

Competitiveness Score 11.30/100 — Low Competitiveness

Exports RM 252,297,643 (RM 252.30 million)

Imports RM 312,018,321 (RM 312.02 million)

Total Trade RM 564,315,964 (RM 564.32 million)

Trade Deficit RM -59,720,678 (RM -59.72 million)

Export-to-Import Ratio 0.81 : 1

Export Share of Sector Trade 44.71%

Share of Listed Exports 0.12%

Source: Official Malaysia open data from data.gov.my and the Department of Statistics Malaysia. The trade competitiveness score is calculated from official sector trade figures for general comparison only and is not an official DOSM score. Recent figures may be provisional and subject to revision.

Understanding Malaysia Trade Competitiveness

Malaysia trade competitiveness by sector compares how strongly each major trade category performs from an export and trade balance perspective. A competitive sector generally has meaningful export activity, a stronger export share within its own trade, and a healthier trade balance position.

This dashboard does not provide an official government competitiveness rating. Instead, it uses official trade data to create a practical comparison score that helps visitors review sector performance in a simple and readable format.

Why Trade Competitiveness Matters

Trade competitiveness can reflect export strength, international demand, domestic production capability, supply chain efficiency, and sector resilience. A sector with higher competitiveness may show stronger outward trade activity or a more favourable export-import position.

For logistics providers, trade competitiveness can help identify sectors that may generate stronger export cargo movement, port coordination, freight planning, container usage, documentation requirements, and international shipment activity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is trade competitiveness?

Trade competitiveness refers to how strongly a sector performs in exports, trade balance, and export orientation compared with other sectors.

Is the competitiveness score official?

No. The score is calculated from official DOSM data for general comparison only.

What does a higher score mean?

A higher score means the sector appears stronger from an export and trade balance perspective compared with other listed sectors.

How often is the data updated?

The official trade data is generally updated monthly. Recent figures may be provisional and subject to revision.

Data Notice:
The figures displayed on this page are based on official Malaysia open data and are provided for general information and reference. Recent figures may be provisional and subject to revision by the official data provider.