China vs Malaysia: Food imports
Food imports over time
- China
- Malaysia
How they compare
Malaysia currently reports 8.3% against 8.1% in China, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 37 shared years of data; in 1984 it was Malaysia ahead.
China ranks 171st and Malaysia ranks 169th of 196 countries.
Malaysia has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Malaysia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.2% | 11.6% | 5.4% | Malaysia |
| 1990s | 4.9% | 5.5% | 0.7% | Malaysia |
| 2000s | 4.0% | 5.7% | 1.8% | Malaysia |
| 2010s | 5.9% | 8.1% | 2.2% | Malaysia |
| 2020s | 8.4% | 8.6% | 0.2% | Malaysia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher food imports, China or Malaysia?
- Malaysia, at 8.3% against 8.1% in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in food imports between China and Malaysia?
- 0.2%, with Malaysia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Malaysia?
- 37 years are reported by both, from 1984 to 2024.
- How do China and Malaysia rank globally for food imports?
- China ranks 171st and Malaysia ranks 169th of 196 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as Food imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Food comprises the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.