Malaysia Posts Largest Trade Surplus in 5 Months

Malaysia’s trade surplus surged to MYR 16.1 billion in August 2025, up from MYR 6.4 billion in the same month last year. It was the largest trade surplus since March, as exports rose while imports declined. Exports increased by 1.9% year-on-year to MYR 131.6 billion, following a downwardly revised 6.5% rise in July. The growth was driven by higher sales in the manufacturing sector (+1.7%) and agriculture (+4.5%), while mining exports declined (-2.4%). Exports mainly rose to Singapore (2.7%), China (10.4%), and the EU (9.7%). By contrast, exports to the US plunged by 16.7%, weighed down by new US tariffs. Meanwhile, imports fell by 5.9% year-on-year to MYR 115.5 billion, due to lower imports of consumption goods (-8.9%) and intermediate goods (-16.8%). In contrast, imports of capital goods rose by 11.0%. For the first eight months of 2025, the country registered a trade surplus of MYR 86.1 billion, with exports and imports climbing by 3.9% and 3.6%, respectively.