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Macro EconomyMedium•28 October 2026•
4 min read

Malaysia’s Exports to U.S. Jump 69.1% to 282.07 Billion Ringgit

Key Facts

1Malaysia’s exports to the United States rose 69.1% to 282.07 billion ringgit in January–September 2026.
2Malaysia-U.S. total trade increased 39.6% to 378.70 billion ringgit over the same period.
3Electronics accounted for 64.2% of Malaysia’s exports to the United States, and semiconductors made up 44% of the sector’s exports.
4Malaysian furniture exports to the United States fell 19.2% to 3.77 billion ringgit in January–September 2026.

Malaysia’s exports to the United States jumped 69.1% to 282.07 billion ringgit in the period from January to September 2026, while bilateral trade rose 39.6% to 378.70 billion ringgit, according to the Malaysian National News Agency, Bernama. Malaysia’s investment and trade minister said strong demand for electrical and electronic products, particularly semiconductors, was the main driver of exports. The minister linked that demand to the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence technologies and data centers. The gains came as U.S. tariff pressures on some Malaysian industries continued. The widening gap between electronics and other categories highlights how export growth to the U.S. market depends on a particular technology sector.

Electrical and electronic products accounted for about 64.2% of Malaysia’s total exports to the United States, while semiconductors made up 44% of exports in that sector, according to a parliamentary reply cited by The Star. The minister said the exemption of most semiconductor and electronic products from additional U.S. tariffs gave Malaysian exports a strategic advantage. He said the expansion of artificial intelligence and data centers had boosted demand for these products. In August, Malaysian exports to the United States rose 130.4% year on year to a record monthly level of 37.46 billion ringgit, driven mainly by an increase in electronics exports, according to the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation, or MATRADE. For the broader sector, Malaysian electronics exports reached 656.14 billion ringgit in the period from January to August and were on track, according to the agency’s estimate, to exceed the sector’s export value for all of 2025.

The gains were uneven across Malaysia’s export sectors: rubber glove exports to the United States fell 1.6% to 5.0 billion ringgit in January–September 2026, from 5.1 billion in the same period of 2025. Furniture exports dropped 19.2% to 3.77 billion ringgit from 4.67 billion. Medical device exports also declined 12% to 8.74 billion ringgit from 9.93 billion. The minister said some key industries faced pressure to absorb the costs of U.S. tariffs or offer discounts to buyers. These categories show that the increase in total exports to the United States coincided with weakness in other Malaysian products and did not lift exports across all sectors.

In the latest monthly reading, Malaysian exports to the United States rose 89.9% year on year to 38.0 billion ringgit in September, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia. Malaysia recorded total exports of 215.1 billion ringgit that month, up 54.5% from September 2025, while total trade increased 53.7% to 396.5 billion ringgit. Month on month, exports rose 12.6% in September compared with August, imports increased 11.3% and total trade advanced 12.0%. In August, Malaysian electronics exports reached 92.48 billion ringgit, up 66.5% year on year, and accounted for 48.4% of the country’s total exports. These figures point to broader trade momentum in September, alongside strength in exports to the United States and the electronics sector in previous months.

The Ministry of Investment and Trade is seeking to broaden export destinations and open alternative markets in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and South Asia, according to The Star. The ministry said it was also working to expand market access through free trade agreements, while MATRADE said Malaysia was focused on strengthening its presence in markets and the competitiveness of its strategic industries. In rubber gloves, exports to Oman rose 712% in the first nine months of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier. Shipments to Brazil increased 84.6%, Sweden 80.8%, Denmark 48.1%, the Netherlands 43.7%, Estonia 34% and Canada 18.4%. These increases support companies’ and the ministry’s efforts to diversify markets as some exports to the United States face pressure.

Against the backdrop of external demand, U.S. new orders for durable goods rose 1.8% to $345.4 billion in September, after increasing 0.1% in August, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. Transportation equipment was the largest contributor to the increase, with orders rising 4.6% to $119.8 billion. These data do not directly link U.S. industrial demand to Malaysian exports, but they cover the same period in which Malaysian shipments to the United States increased. The Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee was scheduled to meet on October 27 and 28, 2026. The Federal Reserve scheduled a news conference for October 28 at 2:30 p.m., according to its meeting calendar.