Malaysia is Western Australia’s eighth largest merchandise export market. Western Australia exported A$3.1 billion of goods to Malaysia in 2019, with the top exports being petroleum, iron ore and alumina.
Malaysia is Western Australia’s fifth largest source of merchandise imports. Western Australia imported A$2.3 billion of goods from Malaysia in 2019, with the top imports being crude oil, refined petroleum oil and computers.
Malaysia is Australia’s twelfth largest source of foreign direct investment (A$14.7 billion in 2019) and is the eighth largest destination for Australia’s direct investment abroad (A$6.3 billion in 2019).
In 2019, Western Australia had 100,700 visitors and 3,060 students from Malaysia. Malaysia is Western Australia’s third largest market for international visitors and international students. For Western Australian tourists, Malaysia is the seventh most popular overseas destination, with 50,000 Western Australians visiting Malaysia in 2018.
Western Australia has a growing Malaysian community. In 2016, 11,000 Western Australian residents had Malay ancestry and 29,000 were born in Malaysia.
The Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation supports Western Australia’s investment and trade with Malaysia through its Singapore Office, which was established in 2012.