Penang, Johor, Selangor dominate Malaysia's RM354bil August trade

KUALA LUMPUR: Penang, Johor and Selangor accounted for a staggering 80.4 per cent of Malaysia's total trade in August, underscoring their outsized role in driving the country's external commerce.

Malaysia's total trade surged to RM354 billion in August 2026, with exports jumping 45.5 per cent year-on-year to RM191 billion and imports rising 41.1 per cent to RM163 billion, according to the Export and Import Statistics by State, August 2026 released today.

Penang remained Malaysia's export powerhouse, accounting for 51.1 per cent of total exports, followed by Johor at 17.5 per cent and Selangor at 13.4 per cent. Sarawak contributed 5.4 per cent, while Kuala Lumpur accounted for 3.2 per cent.

The concentration was equally pronounced on the import side, with Penang again leading at 32.9 per cent, followed by Johor at 24.5 per cent and Selangor at 21.2 per cent. Kuala Lumpur and Kedah contributed 6.9 per cent and 4.4 per cent respectively.

The figures underline the increasingly concentrated nature of Malaysia's trade activity, with Penang, Johor and Selangor together accounting for more than four-fifths of the country's total trade in August.

The latest figures point to Penang as the key engine of Malaysia's August trade surge.

Penang's exports alone jumped RM49.2 billion from a year earlier, dwarfing increases recorded by other states. Johor followed with a RM6.2 billion increase, Selangor RM3.0 billion and Sarawak RM2.2 billion.

Malaysia's overall export growth of RM59.7 billion was also supported by higher exports from Perak, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang.

However, several states recorded lower exports, led by Sabah, which saw exports fall RM974.1 million, followed by Terengganu, Labuan, Kedah, Melaka, Kelantan and Perlis.

Imports also surged, rising RM47.5 billion year-on-year, with Penang again making the biggest contribution at RM24.7 billion, followed by Johor at RM14.5 billion and Selangor at RM3.1 billion.

Kuala Lumpur, Kedah and Negeri Sembilan also recorded significant increases in imports, while Melaka posted the largest decline, with imports falling RM825.2 million.