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Trade between Malaysia and South Korea

In 2024, Malaysia exported $12.6 billion to South Korea and imported $11.9 billion. Malaysia ran a surplus of $744 million with South Korea, compared with a deficit of $332 million in 2019. South Korea was Malaysia’s 8th largest trading partner (3% of its trade), and Malaysia was South Korea’s 13th (2%).

Summary

Malaysia → South Korea
$12.6billion
South Korea → Malaysia
$11.9billion
Malaysia’s balance
$744million

Balance

Malaysia’s trade balance with South Korea

Trade between Malaysia and South Korea grew 4.7-fold since 1995

USD billions (current). Malaysia’s exports and imports; bars: its balance (green surplus, red deficit).

  • Exports 12.6
  • Imports 11.9
  • Balance +0.7

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearExportsImportsTrade balance
1995$2.5 billion$2.7 billion-$240 million
1996$3 billion$4.4 billion-$1.4 billion
1997$3.3 billion$4.3 billion-$1.1 billion
1998$2.2 billion$3.6 billion-$1.4 billion
1999$2.8 billion$3.6 billion-$857 million
2000$4.8 billion$3.9 billion$852 million
2001$4.1 billion$3.1 billion$1 billion
2002$4 billion$4.2 billion-$203 million
2003$3.7 billion$4.6 billion-$913 million
2004$5.1 billion$5.5 billion-$470 million
2005$5.8 billion$5.6 billion$153 million
2006$6.5 billion$7.2 billion-$689 million
2007$7.9 billion$7.5 billion$459 million
2008$9.9 billion$6.4 billion$3.5 billion
2009$7.6 billion$5.8 billion$1.8 billion
2010$9.3 billion$8.7 billion$613 million
2011$10.6 billion$7.8 billion$2.7 billion
2012$9.7 billion$8.2 billion$1.6 billion
2013$10.9 billion$9.7 billion$1.2 billion
2014$10.6 billion$9.7 billion$888 million
2015$8.6 billion$8.2 billion$357 million
2016$7.5 billion$8.3 billion-$765 million
2017$8.3 billion$9.1 billion-$721 million
2018$10.1 billion$9.7 billion$435 million
2019$9.2 billion$9.5 billion-$332 million
2020$8.6 billion$12.4 billion-$3.7 billion
2021$10.1 billion$11.7 billion-$1.6 billion
2022$15 billion$13 billion$2 billion
2023$15 billion$11.6 billion$3.4 billion
2024$12.6 billion$11.9 billion$744 million

What they sell each other

What Malaysia sells to South Korea

The top 10 headings in 2024, with their share of the total.

  1. Natural gas and LPG$3.4 billion · 27.4%
    6.3 million tonnes
  2. Microchips$1.9 billion · 15.1%
    617 tonnes · Malaysia’s destinations
  3. Refined petroleum$1.2 billion · 9.9%
    2.2 million tonnes · Malaysia’s destinations
  4. Electrical test instruments$668 million · 5.3%
    712 tonnes
  5. Computers$501 million · 4%
    733 tonnes · Malaysia’s destinations
  6. Palm oil$374 million · 3%
    393 thousand tonnes · Malaysia’s destinations
  7. Unwrought aluminum$362 million · 2.9%
    149 thousand tonnes · Malaysia’s destinations
  8. Diodes, transistors and solar cells$332 million · 2.6%
    393 tonnes
  9. Computer and office machine parts$306 million · 2.4%
    2 thousand tonnes
  10. Industrial fatty acids$194 million · 1.5%
    207 thousand tonnes

What South Korea sells to Malaysia

The top 10 headings in 2024, with their share of the total.

  1. Microchips$3 billion · 25%
    4 thousand tonnes · South Korea’s destinations
  2. Refined petroleum$2.9 billion · 24.8%
    3.5 million tonnes · South Korea’s destinations
  3. Other industrial machines$370 million · 3.1%
    14 thousand tonnes
  4. Synthetic rubber$349 million · 2.9%
    438 thousand tonnes
  5. Centrifuges and filters$336 million · 2.8%
    19 thousand tonnes
  6. Chromates, permanganates and other metal salts$222 million · 1.9%
    10 thousand tonnes
  7. Cold-rolled flat steel$202 million · 1.7%
    247 thousand tonnes
  8. Printed circuit boards$187 million · 1.6%
    14 thousand tonnes
  9. Computer and office machine parts$170 million · 1.4%
    2 thousand tonnes
  10. Discs and storage media$148 million · 1.3%
    102 tonnes

How it travels

Estimated sea route from Port Klang to Busan.

The estimated sea route between Port Klang and Busan is 2,757 nautical miles (5,106 km) long: ≈ 6.5–8 days at sea (at 18 and 14 knots).

Passages it crosses: Strait of Malacca and Singapore.

Sailing estimate without port calls, waiting or transshipment; not a schedule. One main reference port per country: in large countries it does not represent all of its ports.

Split by transport mode

  1. Sea$15.5 billion · 63.6%
  2. Air$8.9 billion · 36.4%

Mode estimated from value per kilo and geography; both directions together.

How much each matters to the other

South Korea was Malaysia’s 8th largest trading partner (3% of its trade), and Malaysia was South Korea’s 13th (2%).

South Korea in Malaysia’s trade
3.4%
South Korea’s rank among Malaysia’s partners
8th
Malaysia in South Korea’s trade
1.8%
Malaysia’s rank among South Korea’s partners
13th

Compare with

Other partners of Malaysia

Other partners of South Korea

Sources and methodology

Sources and licenses

Methodology

Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. The sea route comes from our own network derived from World Bank shipping density (not from nautical charts), between one main reference port per country (World Port Index); days are the distance at 14 and 18 knots, without port calls or waiting. Data up to 2024.