On Tuesday, Malaysia’s Department of Statistics released data showing the manufacturing sector’s sales value rose 10.7 percent year‑on‑year in the third quarter of 2026, climbing to 553.5 billion ringgit, or about US$136.62 billion. This accelerates from a 9.3 percent increase reported for the second quarter.
The data also revealed a 5.5 percent jump on a quarter‑on‑quarter basis, marking the strongest quarterly growth for the sector in several months. Looking ahead, cumulative manufacturing sales for the first nine months of 2026 reached 1.58 trillion ringgit, an 8.5 percent rise over the same period in 2025, compared with an 8.0 percent increase in 2024.
September’s sales saw an additional 12.9 percent year‑on‑year rise to 191.1 billion ringgit, higher than the 9.9 percent growth seen in August. The rapid gains were largely attributed to the electrical and electronics equipment subsector, which posted a 23.9 percent increase, the largest contributor to the overall sector’s momentum.
Industry observers noted that the sustained uptick comes amid stronger global demand for electronics components, while domestic policy measures aimed at boosting industrial output appear to be paying off. The Department of Statistics Malaysia underscored that the data reflects a broad-based recovery rather than a single industry outlier, emphasizing the importance of continued investment in technology and infrastructure to sustain the sector’s upward trajectory.
