Merchandise trade in Malaysia
Malaysia: Merchandise trade was 151.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Merchandise trade in Malaysia, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise trade in Malaysia is 151.7%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 21.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Malaysia peaked at 192.1% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 66.1%, in 1972.
That places Malaysia 9th out of 204 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Merchandise trade in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 109.4% | — |
| 1961 | 104.0% | -5.0% |
| 1962 | 103.1% | -0.9% |
| 1963 | 84.9% | -17.6% |
| 1964 | 80.5% | -5.2% |
| 1965 | 78.9% | -2.0% |
| 1966 | 75.1% | -4.8% |
| 1967 | 72.2% | -3.8% |
| 1968 | 75.3% | +4.2% |
| 1969 | 77.2% | +2.6% |
| 1970 | 79.9% | +3.5% |
| 1971 | 72.8% | -8.9% |
| 1972 | 66.1% | -9.3% |
| 1973 | 71.8% | +8.6% |
| 1974 | 87.9% | +22.5% |
| 1975 | 79.7% | -9.4% |
| 1976 | 82.5% | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 80.8% | -2.0% |
| 1978 | 81.4% | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 89.2% | +9.6% |
| 1980 | 96.9% | +8.6% |
| 1981 | 93.3% | -3.7% |
| 1982 | 91.2% | -2.2% |
| 1983 | 90.2% | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 90.0% | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 88.4% | -1.8% |
| 1986 | 88.3% | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 95.2% | +7.8% |
| 1988 | 106.6% | +11.9% |
| 1989 | 122.3% | +14.8% |
| 1990 | 133.4% | +9.0% |
| 1991 | 144.5% | +8.3% |
| 1992 | 136.3% | -5.7% |
| 1993 | 138.7% | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 159.0% | +14.7% |
| 1995 | 170.9% | +7.5% |
| 1996 | 155.4% | -9.1% |
| 1997 | 157.8% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 182.3% | +15.5% |
| 1999 | 189.5% | +4.0% |
| 2000 | 192.1% | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 174.3% | -9.3% |
| 2002 | 172.4% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 170.6% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 185.8% | +8.9% |
| 2005 | 178.3% | -4.0% |
| 2006 | 179.0% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 166.4% | -7.0% |
| 2008 | 154.1% | -7.4% |
| 2009 | 138.9% | -9.9% |
| 2010 | 142.4% | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 139.5% | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 134.8% | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 134.3% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 131.0% | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 124.7% | -4.8% |
| 2016 | 119.0% | -4.6% |
| 2017 | 129.6% | +8.9% |
| 2018 | 129.6% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 121.4% | -6.4% |
| 2020 | 126.1% | +3.9% |
| 2021 | 143.8% | +14.0% |
| 2022 | 158.4% | +10.1% |
| 2023 | 144.7% | -8.6% |
| 2024 | 149.4% | +3.3% |
| 2025 | 151.7% | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 86.1% | 72.2% | 109.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 79.2% | 66.1% | 89.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 96.2% | 88.3% | 122.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 156.8% | 133.4% | 189.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 171.2% | 138.9% | 192.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 130.6% | 119.0% | 142.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 145.7% | 126.1% | 158.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More private sector data for Malaysia
- Food imports 8.3% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 72.0% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 340.44 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 10.4% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 72.7% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 376.04 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 10,452 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.7964 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 13.69 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 9,462 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Malaysia?
- Merchandise trade in Malaysia was 151.7% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 192.1% in 2000.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.1% in 1972.
- How does Malaysia rank for merchandise trade?
- Malaysia ranks 9th out of 204 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise trade (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.