Malaysia remains 9th largest global exporter of high-tech products

By VNA April 25, 2025 | 06:41 pm PT

Malaysia successfully maintained its position as the ninth-largest exporter of high-tech goods out of 143 economies in 2023, the highest recognition it has achieved in the past decade, Bernama has reported.

Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo by AFP

At the launch of the Malaysia High Technology Performance Report 2023, Datuk Seri Hasnol Zam Zam Ahmad, secretary-general of the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), said that Malaysia’s high-tech exports increased by US$2 billion to reach US$127 billion in 2023. He said high-tech exports comprised 58.69% of total manufacturing exports in 2023, up from 52.48% recorded in 2022.

He also noted that the country recorded its highest trade surplus in a decade, totalling US$51.5 billion.

Measuring the value of Malaysia’s high-tech exports is not an easy task, he said. First and foremost, the definition of ‘high technology’ must comply with international standards, including those set by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the World Bank.

Hasnol Zam Zam emphasised MOSTI’s commitment to expanding and strengthening the national innovation ecosystem to ensure sustained competitiveness across all development sectors, especially in high technology.

In addition, he mentioned that several international institutions also use high-tech export indicators as a key measure to assess a country’s competitiveness and innovation capacity.