Malaysia’s total trade recorded a new achievement of more than RM2 trillion in 2021 and saw the fastest growth since 1994. Total trade recorded double-digit growth from RM1.8 trillion in the previous year to RM2.2 trillion last year, following two consecutive years of negative growth.
All states recorded growth in total trade, led by Selangor, Penang, and Johor.
This growth was due to the increase in exports from all states, namely Selangor, Penang, Johor, Sarawak, Kedah, Kuala Lumpur, Perak and Sabah.
Higher exports were also seen in Pahang, Terengganu, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Labuan, Perlis and Kelantan.
Among the top five major exporting states, Penang remains the largest exporter with a 29.3% share, followed by Johor (20.6%), Selangor (19%), Sarawak (6.8%) and Kuala Lumpur (3.5%).
Furthermore, imports also achieved growth in 2021, reaching RM987.2 billion.
This growth is due to the increase in imports from Selangor, Penang and Johor. The higher imports recorded in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur were contributed by other electrical and electronic products.
In addition, electronic integrated circuits were the major contributors to imports in Penang and Kedah.