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Who does Malaysia rely on?

The largest supplier of Malaysia in 2024 is China, with 23.3% of what Malaysia buys. Its share was 21.5% in 2019 and 2.3% in 1995. 536 of the 1,074 products Malaysia buys for more than $1 million have a supplier selling more than 50% of what Malaysia buys of that product; in 197, more than 75%. In those products, purchases from each one’s dominant supplier add up to 16% of what Malaysia buys.

Summary

Largest supplier: China
23.3%
Concentration (HHI)
927
Products with a supplier above 50%
536
Products with a supplier above 75%
197

Concentration index (HHI): 927 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting purchases among 11 suppliers of the same size

Trend

Trend in shares

China went from 2.3% to 23.3% of what Malaysia buys

Share (%)

  • China 23.3%
  • Singapore 11.7%
  • United States 8.9%
  • Taiwan 6.4%
  • Japan 5%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearLargest supplierShare
1995Japan24.8%
1996Japan23.6%
1997Japan21.6%
1998Japan19.8%
1999Japan20.6%
2000Japan21.3%
2001Japan20%
2002Japan18.6%
2003Singapore16.3%
2004Japan15.8%
2005Japan14.7%
2006Japan13.1%
2007China13.9%
2008Singapore15.2%
2009China14.4%
2010China13.8%
2011China14.2%
2012China16.5%
2013China18%
2014China18.1%
2015China20%
2016China20.5%
2017China19.7%
2018China20.6%
2019China21.5%
2020China22.4%
2021China24%
2022China22.6%
2023China22.8%
2024China23.3%

Its suppliers

  1. China$70 billion · 23.3%
  2. Singapore$35 billion · 11.7%
  3. United States$26.7 billion · 8.9%
  4. Taiwan$19.3 billion · 6.4%
  5. Japan$14.8 billion · 5%
  6. Indonesia$13.6 billion · 4.5%
  7. Thailand$13 billion · 4.3%
  8. South Korea$11.9 billion · 4%
  9. Saudi Arabia$8.2 billion · 2.7%
  10. India$8 billion · 2.7%

Some of these goods may have been produced in another country: countries record origin in different ways.

Products with a dominant supplier

Of the 1,074 products Malaysia buys for more than $1 million in 2024, these are the highest-value ones with a dominant supplier.

ProductSupplierShareSecondValue
Cameras and broadcast equipmentChina52.4%Singapore · 10.2%$5.9 billion
CoalIndonesia58.5%Australia · 23%$4.6 billion
Natural gas and LPGAustralia59.5%United States · 8.6%$3.1 billion
Transformers and power suppliesChina53%Singapore · 9.6%$2.2 billion
Iron oreBrazil72.7%Australia · 11.4%$2.2 billion
Cables and wireChina52%United States · 8.8%$1.6 billion
Phones and telecom equipmentChina83.5%over 75%Singapore · 5%$1.4 billion
Cane and beet sugarBrazil70.5%Thailand · 15.4%$1.2 billion
Industrial fatty acidsIndonesia94.3%over 75%China · 0.9%$1.2 billion
CornArgentina81%over 75%Brazil · 16.3%$1.1 billion
Other electrical devicesChina56.5%Japan · 10.4%$1.1 billion
Bags, suitcases and casesChina63.4%Singapore · 12.3%$1 billion
BatteriesChina54.9%Germany · 7.1%$996 million
FurnitureChina85.4%over 75%Poland · 1.9%$873 million
Dredgers and floating cranesThailand55.1%India · 22.1%$842 million
Aluminum oxide and hydroxideIndonesia65.8%Australia · 20.9%$842 million
Water heaters and industrial dryersChina51.3%United States · 10.4%$811 million
Waste paperUnited States54.3%United Kingdom · 17.4%$776 million
TrucksThailand59.2%China · 22.4%$770 million
Aluminum scrapUnited States57.1%Canada · 7.6%$742 million
Frozen beefIndia82.7%over 75%Australia · 6.9%$717 million
Microphones and speakersChina64.1%Thailand · 13.7%$715 million
Air conditionersChina76.9%over 75%Thailand · 12.7%$714 million
Parts for broadcast equipmentChina55.9%Philippines · 8.3%$677 million
T-shirtsSingapore51.3%China · 25.7%$655 million

and 511 more

A product has a dominant supplier when a single country sells more than 50% of what is bought of it; we flag it separately above 75%.

Some of these goods may have been produced in another country: countries record origin in different ways.

Countries that sell more than 50% of some product; the darker, the higher the value of those products.

Selling: who it relies on

Largest customer: China
21.3%
Concentration (HHI)
909

Concentration index (HHI): 909 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting sales among 11 customers of the same size

Trend in shares

China went from 3% to 21.3% of what Malaysia sells

Share (%)

  • China 21.3%
  • Singapore 12.6%
  • United States 12.6%
  • Hong Kong 5.2%
  • Japan 4.8%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearLargest customerShare
1995Singapore22%
1996Singapore21.1%
1997Singapore20.4%
1998United States22.1%
1999United States22.8%
2000United States20.2%
2001United States19.3%
2002United States21.2%
2003United States18.8%
2004United States18.1%
2005United States20%
2006United States19.9%
2007Singapore15.9%
2008Singapore15%
2009China14.7%
2010China17.5%
2011China18%
2012Singapore14.6%
2013China17.4%
2014China15.7%
2015China16.9%
2016China16.5%
2017China16%
2018China16.4%
2019China18.1%
2020China19%
2021China19.7%
2022China18.6%
2023China20.8%
2024China21.3%

291 of the 935 products Malaysia sells for more than $1 million have a customer buying more than 50% of what Malaysia sells of that product; in 116, more than 75%. In those products, sales to each one’s dominant customer add up to 11.4% of what Malaysia sells.

ProductCustomerShareSecondValue
Crude petroleumChina75.1%over 75%Thailand · 7.1%$34.1 billion
FurnitureUnited States55.5%Singapore · 7.9%$2.4 billion
Steel barsHong Kong56.9%Singapore · 38%$1.9 billion
Semi-finished steelTurkey71.4%United States · 11.4%$1.5 billion
Other measuring instrumentsChina51.3%United States · 10.9%$1.3 billion
Copper scrapChina81.3%over 75%Taiwan · 6.3%$1.2 billion
Iron oreChina61.4%Vietnam · 30.1%$1.2 billion
Video recorders and playersUnited States62.2%Singapore · 11.4%$1 billion
Uncoated paperChina79.2%over 75%Thailand · 5.8%$925 million
Synthetic rubberChina84.9%over 75%Thailand · 1.9%$865 million
PolystyreneChina51.5%Vietnam · 9%$832 million
Radio receiversUnited States68.6%Japan · 15.2%$832 million
Cement and concrete articlesSingapore80.1%over 75%United States · 12%$799 million
Cyclic hydrocarbonsChina71.3%Indonesia · 8%$743 million
Massage and respiratory therapy devicesSingapore54.5%United States · 18.5%$599 million

and 276 more

Concentration compared

The closest countries in the concentration ranking (HHI, highest first).

RankCountryHHI
143Taiwan960
144Dominica958
145Malaysia927
146Belgium925
147Suriname908
148Czechia889

Sources and method

Sources and licenses

Methodology

The data come from CEPII BACI (Etalab 2.0 licence), which reconciles what the exporting and the importing country report, in current USD, FOB. Data up to 2024.

Dependence is the share of a country’s imports (or exports) that each partner accounts for. It does not measure whether a product has a substitute or how much it would cost to change supplier.

The concentration index (HHI) adds up the square of each partner’s share, in percent: it runs from 0 to 10,000. Its equivalent is 10,000 ÷ HHI, the number of partners of the same size that would give that value.

Products are HS4 headings of the 1992 nomenclature (some combine different goods), with a floor of $1 million per product and country.

The EU is the 27 current members in every year; the United Kingdom is outside the EU throughout the series.

Re-exports: countries that act as redistribution hubs carry their notice and the figures are not corrected.