PENANG REMAINS TOP EXPORTER IN DECEMBER 2023 -- DOSM

Malaysia's total trade for December 2023 amounted to RM225.1 billion, with exports and imports recorded at RM118.5 billion and RM106.7 billion, respectively.

Penang remained as Malaysia's top exporter with a 31.5% share of total exports, followed by Selangor (17.4%), Johor (17.2%), Sarawak (9.4%) and Kuala Lumpur (5.6%), according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM).

Chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said exports increased year-on-year (y-o-y) in Kedah (RM850.4 million), Terengganu (RM673.6 million), Kuala Lumpur (RM539.8 million) and Pahang (RM58.0 million).

Conversely, other states recorded lower exports y-o-y, namely Johor (-RM5.0 billion), Penang (-RM3.3 billion), Selangor (-RM3.0 billion), Labuan (-RM2.1 billion), Sarawak (-RM904.8 million), Perak (-RM569.0 million), Melaka (-RM529.7 million), Sabah (-RM186.8 million), Negeri Sembilan (-RM125.3 million), Kelantan (-RM74.4 million) and Perlis (-RM16.6 million).

Consequently, total exports had slid by 10% or RM13.2 billion y-o-y, Mohd Uzir noted in DoSM's Export-Import Statistics by State report for December 2023 released.

Meanwhile, imports in December 2023 increased RM3.0 billion or 2.9% y-o-y.

This was attributed to higher imports in most states such as Johor (RM1.6 billion), Kuala Lumpur (RM1.5 billion), Penang (RM926.0 million), Negeri Sembilan (RM343.0 million), Pahang (RM308.9 million), Terengganu (RM183.3 million), Kelantan (RM139.8 million) and Labuan (RM16.0 million).

"However, imports decreased in Sarawak (-RM588.1 million), Melaka (-RM462.1 million), Selangor (-RM292.1 million), Perak (-RM268.5 million), Sabah (-RM184.3 million), Kedah (-RM113.3 million) and Perlis (-RM21.9 million),” he said.

Selangor continued to dominate Malaysia's imports with a share of 26.2%, followed by Penang (22.0%) Johor (21.8%), Kuala Lumpur (7.8%) and Kedah (5.5%).