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Who does Singapore rely on?

The largest supplier of Singapore in 2024 is Taiwan, with 13.4% of what Singapore buys. Its share was 8.8% in 2019 and 4% in 1995. 362 of the 1,045 products Singapore buys for more than $1 million have a supplier selling more than 50% of what Singapore buys of that product; in 110, more than 75%. In those products, purchases from each one’s dominant supplier add up to 9% of what Singapore buys.

Summary

Largest supplier: Taiwan
13.4%
Concentration (HHI)
704
Products with a supplier above 50%
362
Products with a supplier above 75%
110

Concentration index (HHI): 704 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting purchases among 14 suppliers of the same size

Trend

Trend in shares

China went from 3.2% to 12.7% of what Singapore buys

Share (%)

  • Taiwan 13.4%
  • China 12.7%
  • Malaysia 11.6%
  • United States 9.6%
  • South Korea 6.7%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearLargest supplierShare
1995Japan19.3%
1996Japan16.6%
1997Japan16.4%
1998United States16.9%
1999United States15.7%
2000Japan16%
2001Malaysia15.9%
2002Malaysia16.9%
2003Malaysia15.2%
2004Malaysia13.9%
2005Malaysia12.5%
2006Malaysia12.2%
2007Malaysia13.5%
2008Malaysia11.6%
2009Malaysia11.3%
2010Malaysia11.5%
2011China10.5%
2012Malaysia10.3%
2013China11.3%
2014China11.9%
2015China13.7%
2016China13.7%
2017China13.8%
2018China13.7%
2019China14.3%
2020China15.2%
2021China13.1%
2022China13.5%
2023China14.9%
2024Taiwan13.4%

Its suppliers

  1. Taiwan$59.4 billion · 13.4%
  2. China$56.2 billion · 12.7%
  3. Malaysia$51.6 billion · 11.6%
  4. United States$42.6 billion · 9.6%
  5. South Korea$29.5 billion · 6.7%
  6. Japan$19.5 billion · 4.4%
  7. Indonesia$15.1 billion · 3.4%
  8. Thailand$13.6 billion · 3.1%
  9. United Arab Emirates$12.8 billion · 2.9%
  10. France$11.9 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 1,045 products Singapore buys for more than $1 million in 2024, these are the highest-value ones with a dominant supplier.

ProductSupplierShareSecondValue
Cameras and broadcast equipmentChina54.9%Malaysia · 10.8%$12.6 billion
Cargo and cruise shipsSouth Korea61.9%India · 19.4%$5.6 billion
Aircraft partsUnited States68.2%France · 11.5%$5.3 billion
Airplanes and helicoptersUnited States65.6%France · 15.5%$2.9 billion
Phones and telecom equipmentChina70.4%Taiwan · 8.1%$1.9 billion
PolyethyleneSaudi Arabia67.3%United States · 15.2%$1.6 billion
Precious metal watchesSwitzerland93.2%over 75%Germany · 2.1%$1.4 billion
PerfumesFrance60.3%Spain · 14.5%$1.2 billion
Steel barsMalaysia66.6%China · 11.6%$1.1 billion
Shipping containersChina83.6%over 75%Malaysia · 12.7%$1 billion
Other wristwatchesSwitzerland81.8%over 75%China · 9.4%$940 million
Nitrogen heterocyclic compoundsIndia62.7%China · 14.9%$915 million
Precious metal scrapThailand52%Hong Kong · 10.5%$895 million
Other glass articlesVietnam82.7%over 75%China · 4.1%$742 million
WineFrance74.8%Australia · 8.4%$686 million
Cement and concrete articlesMalaysia95.4%over 75%China · 1.9%$671 million
Warships and other vesselsSaudi Arabia78.3%over 75%Thailand · 13.4%$611 million
CranesChina75.7%over 75%Germany · 5%$607 million
Unwrought nickelChina51.9%Indonesia · 34.4%$582 million
Acetic acid and other saturated acidsChina57.9%United States · 14.8%$569 million
Massage and respiratory therapy devicesMalaysia57.6%China · 29.7%$567 million
Petroleum coke and bitumenIndonesia93.5%over 75%United States · 1.8%$567 million
Motorcycle and bicycle partsMalaysia54.5%Indonesia · 22.5%$548 million
Unwrought leadIndia55.8%China · 6.6%$531 million
Beef, mutton and goat tallowAustralia50.9%Malaysia · 18.5%$445 million

and 337 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%.

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: Hong Kong
15.6%
Concentration (HHI)
740

Concentration index (HHI): 740 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting sales among 14 customers of the same size

Trend in shares

The United States went from 19% to 10.6% of what Singapore sells

Share (%)

  • Hong Kong 15.6%
  • China 11.9%
  • United States 10.6%
  • Malaysia 10.6%
  • Indonesia 6.3%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearLargest customerShare
1995United States19%
1996United States19.9%
1997United States19.9%
1998United States20.3%
1999United States19.1%
2000United States17.2%
2001United States15.7%
2002United States15.2%
2003United States13.3%
2004United States11.1%
2005Hong Kong11%
2006Hong Kong11.7%
2007Hong Kong12.7%
2008Hong Kong11.2%
2009Hong Kong11.7%
2010Hong Kong12.8%
2011Hong Kong11.7%
2012Hong Kong12.5%
2013Hong Kong11.9%
2014China12.9%
2015Hong Kong14.7%
2016Hong Kong15.6%
2017Hong Kong18.4%
2018Hong Kong13.4%
2019China13.8%
2020Hong Kong16.1%
2021Hong Kong16.9%
2022Hong Kong14.5%
2023Hong Kong14%
2024Hong Kong15.6%

252 of the 883 products Singapore sells for more than $1 million have a customer buying more than 50% of what Singapore sells of that product; in 80, more than 75%. In those products, sales to each one’s dominant customer add up to 7.8% of what Singapore sells.

ProductCustomerShareSecondValue
Vaccines, blood and antiseraUnited States70.9%China · 10.1%$16 billion
Nucleic acids and other heterocyclesUnited States82.6%over 75%Ireland · 6.8%$2.8 billion
Massage and respiratory therapy devicesUnited States70.4%Netherlands · 8.4%$2.1 billion
Nitrogen heterocyclic compoundsGermany64%United Kingdom · 8.6%$2 billion
Makeup and skin careHong Kong53.8%Malaysia · 14%$1.3 billion
Amino acids and amino alcohols (lysine)United States53.3%Germany · 17.7%$1.1 billion
Other iron or steel articlesMalaysia58.7%Indonesia · 8.7%$725 million
Refrigerators, freezers and heat pumpsChina80.1%over 75%Netherlands · 2.7%$510 million
SulfonamidesUnited States63.6%Germany · 8%$430 million
Warships and other vesselsSaudi Arabia79.6%over 75%Canada · 6.4%$405 million
Bulk medicinesUnited States76.8%over 75%Belgium · 10.6%$378 million
T-shirtsMalaysia90.8%over 75%United Arab Emirates · 2.4%$370 million
Cigarettes and cigarsVietnam54.7%Indonesia · 23.4%$370 million
WineJapan61.9%Hong Kong · 17%$364 million
Electric heaters and hair dryersUnited States55.4%United Arab Emirates · 11.5%$347 million

and 237 more

Concentration compared

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

RankCountryHHI
179Kuwait705
180Burkina Faso704
181Singapore704
182Georgia697
183Croatia688
184Bahrain680

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.