DistantNews
Malaysia's External Trade Volume Index Increases in March
🇲🇾 Malaysia /Economy & Trade

Malaysia's External Trade Volume Index Increases in March

From Utusan Malaysia · (8m ago) Malay Positive tone

Translated from Malay, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Malaysia's export and import trade volumes increased in March 2026, with exports up 12% and imports up 6.8%.
  • The unit value index for exports rose 1.4% and for imports increased 1.8%.
  • Key drivers for export growth included mineral oils, chemicals, and transport equipment, while imports were boosted by mineral oils, animal/vegetable fats and oils, and chemicals.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Malaysia's external trade sector has demonstrated robust growth in March 2026, signaling a positive trajectory for the nation's economy. According to the latest report from the Department of Statistics Malaysia, both export and import volumes saw significant increases, with exports climbing by 12% and imports by 6.8%. This performance reflects the resilience and dynamism of Malaysian commerce on the global stage.

The increase in the export unit value index was contributed by growth in the mineral oil index (5.4 percent), chemicals (0.6 percent) and machinery and transport equipment (0.5 percent).

— Datuk Seri Dr. Mohd. Uzir MahidinExplaining the factors contributing to the rise in export values.

Datuk Seri Dr. Mohd. Uzir Mahidin, Chief Statistician, highlighted that the unit value index for exports also saw a healthy rise of 1.4%, reaching 155.3 points. Similarly, the import unit value index jumped 1.8% to 124.8 points. These figures are particularly encouraging as they indicate increased value in traded goods, driven by strong performance in crucial sectors such as mineral oils, chemicals, and transport equipment for exports, and mineral oils, animal/vegetable fats and oils, and chemicals for imports.

Export volume index increased by 12 percent in line with the positive performance of the mineral oil index (26.1 percent), manufactured goods (19.4 percent) and machinery and transport equipment (17.8 percent).

— Datuk Seri Dr. Mohd. Uzir MahidinDetailing the components driving the growth in export volumes.

While the terms of trade experienced a slight month-on-month dip of 0.3%, a year-on-year comparison reveals a substantial increase of 4.1%, underscoring the overall positive trend. The seasonally adjusted export volume index further bolstered this optimism with a 13.4% increase, and the import volume index saw a 6.3% rise. From a Malaysian perspective, this sustained growth in trade volumes is vital for economic expansion, job creation, and maintaining our competitive edge in international markets. It reaffirms Malaysia's position as a key player in global supply chains and highlights the effectiveness of our trade policies.

However, year-on-year comparison shows the country's terms of trade increased by 4.1 percent compared to 119.5 points in March last year.

— Datuk Seri Dr. Mohd. Uzir MahidinProviding a year-over-year perspective on trade terms.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Utusan Malaysia in Malay. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog