Malaysia Trade Leadership Dashboard

Malaysia Trade Intelligence

Identify Malaysia’s leading trade sectors by exports, imports, total trade, surplus strength, deficit exposure, and overall trade leadership using official Malaysia open data.

Latest Malaysia Trade Leadership: March 2026

The figures below identify Malaysia’s leading trade sectors across exports, imports, total trade, surplus, deficit, and overall leadership.

Overall Trade Leader Machinery and Transport Equipment

Leading Export Sector Machinery and Transport Equipment

Leading Import Sector Machinery and Transport Equipment

Leading Total Trade Sector Machinery and Transport Equipment

Strongest Surplus Sector Machinery and Transport Equipment

Strongest Deficit Sector Food and Live Animals

Malaysia Sectors Ranked by Trade Leadership

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

Rank 1

Machinery and Transport Equipment

Leadership Score 90.00/100 — Very Strong Leader

Total Trade RM 148,993,963,240 (RM 148.99 billion)

Exports RM 80,492,049,894 (RM 80.49 billion)

Imports RM 68,501,913,346 (RM 68.50 billion)

Trade Surplus RM 11,990,136,548 (RM 11.99 billion)

Rank 2

Miscellaneous Manufactured Articles

Leadership Score 25.03/100 — Limited Leader

Total Trade RM 26,247,350,680 (RM 26.25 billion)

Exports RM 17,817,880,070 (RM 17.82 billion)

Imports RM 8,429,470,610 (RM 8.43 billion)

Trade Surplus RM 9,388,409,460 (RM 9.39 billion)

Rank 3

Mineral Fuels, Lubricants and Related Materials

Leadership Score 19.86/100 — Low Leadership

Total Trade RM 27,057,248,232 (RM 27.06 billion)

Exports RM 16,011,233,441 (RM 16.01 billion)

Imports RM 11,046,014,791 (RM 11.05 billion)

Trade Surplus RM 4,965,218,650 (RM 4.97 billion)

Rank 4

Food and Live Animals

Leadership Score 15.33/100 — Low Leadership

Total Trade RM 10,650,233,413 (RM 10.65 billion)

Exports RM 4,008,837,738 (RM 4.01 billion)

Imports RM 6,641,395,675 (RM 6.64 billion)

Trade Deficit RM -2,632,557,937 (RM -2.63 billion)

Rank 5

Chemicals and Related Products

Leadership Score 14.99/100 — Low Leadership

Total Trade RM 17,718,725,426 (RM 17.72 billion)

Exports RM 8,056,602,553 (RM 8.06 billion)

Imports RM 9,662,122,873 (RM 9.66 billion)

Trade Deficit RM -1,605,520,320 (RM -1.61 billion)

Rank 6

Manufactured Goods Classified Chiefly by Material

Leadership Score 12.27/100 — Low Leadership

Total Trade RM 21,404,113,814 (RM 21.40 billion)

Exports RM 11,302,933,756 (RM 11.30 billion)

Imports RM 10,101,180,058 (RM 10.10 billion)

Trade Surplus RM 1,201,753,698 (RM 1.20 billion)

Rank 7

Crude Materials, Inedible, Except Fuels

Leadership Score 9.91/100 — Low Leadership

Total Trade RM 8,224,217,527 (RM 8.22 billion)

Exports RM 3,349,654,797 (RM 3.35 billion)

Imports RM 4,874,562,730 (RM 4.87 billion)

Trade Deficit RM -1,524,907,933 (RM -1.52 billion)

Rank 8

Animal and Vegetable Oils, Fats and Waxes

Leadership Score 9.45/100 — Low Leadership

Total Trade RM 7,063,768,330 (RM 7.06 billion)

Exports RM 5,872,816,498 (RM 5.87 billion)

Imports RM 1,190,951,832 (RM 1.19 billion)

Trade Surplus RM 4,681,864,666 (RM 4.68 billion)

Rank 9

Commodities and Transactions Not Elsewhere Classified

Leadership Score 9.69/100 — Low Leadership

Total Trade RM 5,112,543,962 (RM 5.11 billion)

Exports RM 1,616,624,419 (RM 1.62 billion)

Imports RM 3,495,919,543 (RM 3.50 billion)

Trade Deficit RM -1,879,295,124 (RM -1.88 billion)

Rank 10

Beverages and Tobacco

Leadership Score 0.36/100 — Low Leadership

Total Trade RM 479,225,969 (RM 479.23 million)

Exports RM 223,670,990 (RM 223.67 million)

Imports RM 255,554,979 (RM 255.55 million)

Trade Deficit RM -31,883,989 (RM -31.88 million)

Source: Official Malaysia open data from data.gov.my and the Department of Statistics Malaysia. The trade leadership 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 Leadership

Malaysia trade leadership shows which sectors lead the country’s trade activity from several different angles. One sector may lead exports, another may lead imports, while another may dominate total trade. This dashboard brings those leadership positions together in one place.

The dashboard highlights leading export sectors, leading import sectors, leading total trade sectors, strongest surplus sectors, strongest deficit sectors, and a calculated overall leadership score. This gives visitors a practical overview of which sectors are most influential in Malaysia’s current trade structure.

Why Trade Leadership Matters

Trade leadership matters because leading sectors can strongly influence cargo movement, industrial activity, sourcing demand, export performance, and logistics requirements. A sector that leads exports may indicate strong overseas demand, while a sector that leads imports may indicate high domestic demand or dependence on overseas supply.

For logistics providers, trade leadership data helps identify sectors that may generate significant shipment volume, customs documentation, warehousing, port coordination, container movement, and inland transport activity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does trade leadership mean?

Trade leadership means the sectors that lead Malaysia’s trade activity by exports, imports, total trade, surplus, deficit, or combined performance.

Is the leadership score official?

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

How is total trade calculated?

Total trade is calculated by adding exports and imports.

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.