Malaysia

Imports: CIF, by origin

Exports: FOB, by last known destination

Trade System: General

Overview:
From 2007 to 2011, despite a significant decline of 20.9 percent in 2009, Malaysia's exports increased on average by 6.6 percent each year
and amounted to 227.0 bln US$ in 2011, well above its previous peak level of 2008 (see table 1 and graph 1). Imports increased on average
by 6.4 percent each year and reached 187.6 bln US$ in 2011 (see table 2 and graph 1). This resulted in a trade surplus of 39.4 bln US$ in 2011,
higher than the surplus in 2010 of 34.2 bln US$ (see graph 1). Trade was in surplus with most MDG regions. Large surpluses were recorded
with Southern Asia (+11.0 bln US$), Eastern Asia (+10.4 bln US$), Developed Asia-Pacific (+9.0 bln US$) and South-eastern Asia (+4.0 bln
US$) among others (see graph 2). In 2011, trade was relatively diversified across partners: 14 major partners accounted for 80 percent of both
exports and imports (see graph 3).

Graph 1: Total imports, exports and trade balance

(Bln US$ by year)
Exports

250

Imports

Trade Balance

200

Table 1: Exports by SITC sections

(Value in million US$, growth and shares in percentage)
SITC
Total
0+1
2+4
3
5
6
7
8
9

150
100
50
0
50

2011

226 992.7
7 745.5
32 058.7
40 265.6
15 102.0
21 294.8
88 089.3
21 069.5
1 367.2

Avg. Growth rates (%)

2007-2011 2010-2011

6.6
13.5
18.5
12.3
9.4
8.6
0.6
8.6
-14.4

14.2
18.7
39.4
27.8
19.2
21.5
0.9
11.6
1.1

2011
share

100.0
3.4
14.1
17.7
6.7
9.4
38.8
9.3
0.6

100
150

11

10

20

09

20

08

20

07

20

06

20

05

20

04

20

03

20

02

20

01

20

00

20

99

20

98

19

19

19

97

200

Exports Profile:
In 2011, machinery and transport equipment (SITC section 7) represented the largest
commodity group for exports with 38.8 percent of total exports (see table 1). The
second largest commodity group, mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials (SITC
section 3), increased by 27.8 percent and represented 17.7 percent of exports. Top
markets for exported goods were China, Singapore and Japan (see table 4). Exports
to China and Singapore were mostly machinery and transport equipment (SITC
section 7). From 2009 to 2011, the top exported products were electronic integrated
circuits (HS code 8542), petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons (HS code
2711) and palm oil and its fractions (HS code 1511) (see table 3).

Table 2: Imports by SITC sections

(Value in million US$, growth and shares in percentage)
SITC
Total
0+1
2+4
3
5
6
7
8
9

2011

187 573.0
12 283.2
11 854.1
22 054.8
17 598.4
24 523.0
83 747.5
11 700.4
3 811.7

Avg. Growth rates (%)

2007-2011 2010-2011

6.4
13.8
20.1
14.4
10.3
7.3
1.8
12.9
-5.6

14.0
21.0
42.9
34.5
17.5
20.1
2.8
18.0
29.3

2011
share

100.0
6.5
6.3
11.8
9.4
13.1
44.6
6.2
2.0

Table 3: Top 10 export commodities 2009 to 2011

(Value in million US$)
Value (million US$)
Unit value
4-digit heading of Harmonized System 2007
2009
2010
2011
2009 2010 2011
Unit
All Commodities............................................................................................................ 157 194.8 198 790.7 226 992.7
8542 Electronic integrated circuits......................................................................................... 21 218.8 22 809.4 27 239.5
2711 Petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons...................................................... 10 126.9 13 371.9 18 210.2 0.4 0.5 0.7 US$/kg
1511 Palm oil and its fractions...............................................................................................
9 262.8 12 405.4 17 446.9 0.7 0.8 1.1 US$/kg
8471 Automatic data processing machines and units thereof..............................................
9 654.5 11 018.9
9 691.2
36.4 76.2 US$/unit
2709 Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude.............................
7 265.4
9 646.1 10 760.3 0.4 0.6 0.8 US$/kg
8473 Parts and accessories for use with machines of heading 84.69 to 84.72....................
9 240.8 10 787.4
6 318.7 4.8 0.1 35.3 US$/kg
2710 Petroleum oils, other than crude...................................................................................
5 512.1
7 941.2 10 797.4 0.5 0.7 0.9 US$/kg
8541 Diodes, transistors and similar semiconductor devices................................................
4 792.4
7 201.6
7 480.6
8528 Reception apparatus for television...............................................................................
2 919.5
5 283.5
4 832.9 246.2 183.4 289.7 US$/unit
4001 Natural rubber, balata, gutta-percha, guayule, chicle..................................................
1 267.1
2 863.6
4 339.7 1.8 3.2 4.6 US$/kg
HS
code

Source: UN Comtrade

SITC
code
776
343
422
752
333
759
334
776
761
231

Malaysia
Graph 2: Trade Balance by MDG Regions in 2011

Graph 3: Partner concentration of trade in 2011

(Bln US$)

(Cumulative share by ranked partners)

Developed AsiaPacific

Imports
(Herfindahl Index = 0.072)

Developed Europe

Exports
(Herfindahl Index = 0.068)

Top
partner

Developed N. America

Top
partner

Southeastern Europe
5 th

5 th

10 th

10 th

15 th

15 th

20 th

20 th

25 th

25 th

CIS
Northern Africa
SubSaharan Africa
Latin Am, Caribbean
Eastern Asia
Southern Asia
Southeastern Asia

(Value in million US$, percentages of country total)

Country
World...............................
China................................
Singapore........................
Japan...............................
USA..................................
Thailand...........................
China, Hong Kong SAR....
India.................................
Rep. of Korea...................
Australia..........................
Other Asia, nes................

Total

226 992.7
29 821.4
28 812.6
26 134.5
18 850.4
11 674.0
10 210.5
9 209.5
8 438.4
8 206.2
7 421.0

0+1 2+4

3.4
1.2
5.5
1.5
3.2
3.8
3.2
0.7
2.8
3.3
2.1

14.1
25.0
3.4
5.5
10.1
5.2
0.7
25.1
8.8
4.1
5.2

Shares by SITC sections (%)

5
6
7
8

17.7 6.7 9.4 38.8 9.3

6.3 8.7 8.6 47.4 2.5
22.8 4.4 9.9 43.4 9.9
48.5 4.9 8.4 23.9 7.2
0.4 2.4 4.9 57.0 21.7
19.4 11.7 10.4 36.1 12.9
1.9 4.7 4.6 78.6 5.4
25.3 9.5 9.2 27.6 2.5
41.2 6.5 12.4 23.6 4.0
46.8 4.7 9.3 23.6 6.5
39.1 7.2 8.8 30.8 6.3

0.6
0.3
0.6
0.2
0.3
0.5
1.0
0.2
0.7
1.7
0.5

Total

100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100

0%
10

80

60

40

%
20

0%

%
20

Table 4: Exports by principal countries and SITC sections in 2011

40

60

80

10

0%

11
12

9
10

Oceania

Western Asia

Imports Profile:
In 2011, similar to exports, the largest
commodity group for imports was machinery
and transport equipment (SITC section 7) and
accounted for 44.6 percent of total imports
(see table 2). Other major commodity groups
included manufactured goods classified
chiefly by material (SITC section 6) and
mineral fuels, lubricants and related
materials (SITC section 3), respectively with
13.1 and 11.8 percent of total imports. From
2009 to 2011, the major imported goods were
electronic integrated circuits (HS code 8542),
petroleum oils, other than crude (HS code
2710) and petroleum oils and oils obtained
from bituminous minerals, crude (HS code
2709) (see table 5).

Table 5: Top 10 import commodities 2009 to 2011

(Value in million US$)
Value (million US$)
4-digit heading of Harmonized System 2007
2009
2010
2011
All Commodities............................................................................................................ 123 575.3 164 586.3 187 573.0
8542 Electronic integrated circuits......................................................................................... 19 932.3 28 459.2 26 631.6
2710 Petroleum oils, other than crude...................................................................................
4 095.8
7 887.4 10 632.4
2709 Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude.............................
4 231.7
5 688.2
7 846.4
8473 Parts and accessories for use with machines of heading 84.69 to 84.72....................
5 816.1
5 310.8
4 693.2
8541 Diodes, transistors and similar semiconductor devices................................................
2 277.5
3 245.7
3 539.5
8529 Parts suitable for use with the apparatus of headings 85.25 to 85.28.........................
1 689.1
3 181.6
3 386.5
8471 Automatic data processing machines and units thereof..............................................
2 093.8
2 722.8
3 170.1
8517 Electrical apparatus for line telephony or line telegraphy............................................
1 573.0
2 242.0
2 806.3
8703 Motor cars and other motor vehicles principally designed for the transport...............
1 581.6
2 508.2
2 526.5
7108 Gold (including gold plated with platinum)...................................................................
1 713.5
1 757.6
2 545.7
HS
code

Source: UN Comtrade

Unit value
2009 2010 2011
Unit

SITC
code

776
334
333
759
776
27.5 24.5 30.0 US$/kg 764
80.2 55.1 91.4 US$/unit 752
764
4.7 5.5 6.3 thsd US$/unit 781
971

0.5
0.5
44.5

0.6 0.8
0.6 0.8
5.5 56.2

US$/kg
US$/kg
US$/kg