Economic Forum: $146.6 million in trade exchange between Jordan and Malaysia during the first 7 months of 2026

The Economic Forum proposes an executive program to diversify Jordanian exports to Malaysia

The Forum: Jordan is the second-largest Arab host for Malaysian students in 2025

The Forum calls for a government plan to implement economic cooperation initiatives with Malaysia

The Jordan Economic Forum has issued a position paper titled "Jordanian-Malaysian Economic Relations in Light of the State Visit by His Majesty King Abdullah II to Malaysia," which addressed the reality of economic, trade, and investment relations between the two countries, and the opportunities available for their development, emphasizing the importance of building on the royal visit to launch a practical path that strengthens economic partnerships.

The paper comes in conjunction with the state visit His Majesty the King is making to Malaysia on October 11 and 12, at the invitation of the Malaysian monarch, Sultan Ibrahim ibni Sultan Iskandar, as more than six decades have passed since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1965.

The paper showed an increase in the volume of trade exchange between Jordan and Malaysia by 12 percent during the first seven months of the current year, reaching $146.6 million, compared to $130.8 million during the same period in 2025, according to data from the Department of Statistics.

It indicated that Jordanian exports to Malaysia rose by 32.4 percent, reaching about $33 million, compared to $24.9 million, while imports increased by 7.2 percent, reaching $113.6 million, with the trade balance recording a deficit in favor of Malaysia of about $80.6 million, compared to $81 million during the same period last year.

It pointed out that trade exchange reached $283.1 million in 2021, and $317.4 million in 2022, before declining to $216.9 million in 2023, and $187.9 million in 2024, then rising to $216.5 million in 2025.

According to the paper, fertilizers accounted for about 79 percent of total Jordanian exports to Malaysia during 2025, while greases, fats, and oils accounted for 34 percent of Jordanian imports, followed by knitted fabrics at 25 percent.

The Forum emphasized that the volume of trade exchange between the two countries remains relatively low compared to the GDP of both, which indicates opportunities to increase it and diversify Jordanian exports to the Malaysian market.

In terms of tourism, Malaysia received 8,957 Jordanian visitors in 2025, compared to 8,033 Malaysian visitors to Jordan, while statistics from the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education for 2025 showed the presence of 2,075 Malaysian students in Jordan, ranking it second among Arab countries hosting Malaysian students after Egypt.

The paper reviewed the Malaysian economic experience, as Malaysia's economy recorded a growth of 5.2 percent in 2025, and the services and manufacturing sectors accounted for 82.5 percent of the GDP, while commodity exports reached about 1.6 trillion Malaysian Ringgit.

In its recommendations, the Forum called for the preparation of an executive program to diversify Jordanian exports to Malaysia, including pharmaceutical and food industries, processed agricultural products, digital and logistical services, and tourism, in addition to developing cooperation in the Halal economy and the mutual recognition of certificates and specifications.

It proposed providing a detailed database on the Malaysian market, enhancing coordination between business communities, launching a joint Jordanian-Malaysian Business Council, organizing periodic meetings between companies and investors, and exploring opportunities to involve small and medium-sized enterprises in production and supply chains.

It also recommended developing programs for cooperation in technical training and knowledge transfer, enhancing joint tourism promotion, expanding academic exchange, and linking educational programs to the needs of economic sectors.

The Forum stressed the importance of the government preparing an executive follow-up plan that identifies the responsible entities, partners, timelines, and performance indicators for each initiative, ensuring that cooperation opportunities are translated into tangible economic results that support growth and productivity and enhance the competitiveness of the Jordanian economy.