KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 27): Malaysia’s total trade in December 2022 amounted to RM236.0 billion, an increase of 8.6% year-on-year (y-o-y), with exports rising 6.0% to RM131.9 billion, while imports rose 12.0% to RM104.1 billion, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) on Friday (Jan 27).

Chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said Malaysia’s total trade recorded a new milestone at RM2.8 trillion in 2022.

Meanwhile, the export performance by states showed that exports in December increased RM7.5 billion or 6.0% y-o-y.

“Higher exports were recorded in most states, such as Johor (+RM4.3 billion), Sarawak (+RM2.2 billion), Selangor (+RM1.4 billion), Labuan (+RM1.4 billion), Negeri Sembilan (+RM264.1 million), Perak (+RM230.1 million), and Kedah (+RM184.0 million),” he said in a statement.

As for other states, Melaka recorded an increase in exports of RM97.9 million, followed by Kelantan (+RM92.9 million), Kuala Lumpur (+RM64.8 million), and Perlis (+RM14.3 million). 

However, Mohd Uzir noted that exports decreased for Sabah (-RM1.7 billion), Pahang (-RM563.3 million), Terengganu (-RM531.0 million), and Penang (-RM93.3 million).

Looking at the performance of imports by states, he noted that imports also increased RM11.2 billion or 12.0% y-o-y in December, due to higher imports in most states, such as Johor (+RM5.1 billion), Selangor (+RM2.7 billion), and Melaka (+RM1.8 billion).

Among the top five major exporting states, the chief statistician said Penang remained as the top exporter, with a share of 30.8%, followed by Johor (19.2%), Selangor (17.8%), Sarawak (9.1%), and Kuala Lumpur (4.7%). 

As for imports, Selangor was the largest contributor, with a share of 27.2%, followed by Penang (21.9%), Johor (20.8%), Kuala Lumpur (6.6%), and Kedah (5.8%).