Kuala Lumpur—Malaysia’s manufacturing sector reported a 9.1 percent year-on-year increase in sales to 157.1 billion ringgit ($36.04 billion) in July, the highest growth rate since February 2023, reflecting robust industry performance across several key sub-sectors.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) attributed the significant sales uplift to a 16 percent growth in the food, beverages, and tobacco sub-sector, which led the surge. The electrical and electronics products sub-sector also showed strong performance with an 8.2 percent increase, followed by the petroleum, chemical, rubber, and plastic sub-sector, which grew by 6.2 percent. On a month-to-month basis, there was a slight increase of 0.6 percent from June’s 156.1 billion ringgit.

The data further highlighted the strength of Malaysia’s export-oriented industries, which accounted for 72.3 percent of total sales and saw a 9.4 percent increase in July. Domestic-oriented industries also showed a solid growth rate of 8.4 percent, underscoring a balanced expansion across the manufacturing sector.