Malaysia vs Singapore: Merchandise trade
Merchandise trade over time
- Malaysia
- Singapore
How they compare
Singapore currently reports 177.6% against 151.7% in Malaysia, a difference of 25.9%.
That makes Singapore's figure about 1.2 times Malaysia's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, Singapore has been ahead every year.
Malaysia ranks 9th and Singapore ranks 6th of 204 countries.
Singapore has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malaysia | Singapore | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 86.1% | 254.0% | 168.0% | Singapore |
| 1970s | 79.2% | 254.8% | 175.6% | Singapore |
| 1980s | 96.2% | 300.4% | 204.2% | Singapore |
| 1990s | 156.8% | 269.2% | 112.4% | Singapore |
| 2000s | 171.2% | 303.2% | 132.0% | Singapore |
| 2010s | 130.6% | 233.9% | 103.3% | Singapore |
| 2020s | 145.7% | 184.6% | 38.9% | Singapore |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher merchandise trade, Malaysia or Singapore?
- Singapore, at 177.6% against 151.7% in Malaysia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in merchandise trade between Malaysia and Singapore?
- 25.9%, with Singapore ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and Singapore?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Malaysia and Singapore rank globally for merchandise trade?
- Malaysia ranks 9th and Singapore ranks 6th of 204 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Trade Organization (WTO), published as Merchandise trade (% of GDP). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
General merchandise trade includes goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-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. It is the total of merchandise exports plus merchandise imports. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.