Manufacturing sales reach RM185.0 billion as August growth accelerates
Electrical and electronic equipment led the increase, with sales rising 22.6 per cent, according to DOSM.
Malaysia’s manufacturing sector generated RM185.0 billion in sales during August 2026, a year-on-year increase of 9.9 per cent, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said. The growth rate exceeded July 2026’s 9.1 per cent, while sales rose 4.3 per cent month-on-month from RM177.3 billion.
DOSM identified electrical and electronic equipment as the main driver. Petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic products contributed growth of 5.2 per cent, against 3.6 per cent in July 2026. Growth for food, beverages and tobacco products slowed to 0.3 per cent from 3.9 per cent.
Export-oriented industries represented 73.6 per cent of manufacturing sales and registered year-on-year growth of 12.1 per cent, compared with 9.9 per cent in July 2026. Computer, electronic and optical products led this performance with a 24.9 per cent increase. Sales across export-oriented industries were also 2.4 per cent higher month-on-month.
Domestic-oriented industries recorded slower annual sales growth of 4.4 per cent, down from 7.2 per cent in July 2026. Basic metals grew 13.1 per cent, while food processing products rose 6.9 per cent. Domestic-oriented sales fell 0.9 per cent compared with the preceding month.
Manufacturing employment stood at 2.4 million in August 2026, up 1.2 per cent year-on-year, DOSM said. For the first eight months of 2026, cumulative manufacturing sales reached RM1.39 trillion, an increase of 7.9 per cent.
