Bilateral trade relations between Bangladesh and Malaysia have been cemented since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries on 31 January 1972. Being a big trading nation in the world Malaysia is considered as a regional hub of trade among the ASEAN countries. In recent years trade between Bangladesh and Malaysia is expanding increasingly that make Bangladesh the second largest trading partner for Malaysia in South Asia, after India.
Bangladesh-Malaysia Trade Relations
The following table shows the bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Malaysia in the last couple of years (value in million USD):
| Year | Export | Import |
| 2011-12 | 56.11 | 1406.70 |
| 2012-13 | 100.11 | 1903.10 |
| 2013-14 | 135.64 | 2084.10 |
| 2014-15 | 140.09 | 1287.50 |
| 2015-16 | 191.05 | 952.30 |
| 2016-17 | 211.52 | 1017.50 |
| 2017-18 | 232.42 | 1410.40 |
| 2018-19 | 277.23 |
Source: Bangladesh Bank
In 2018-19 export to Malaysia has reached to a new height of 277.23 million US dollar with a growth of 19.3 per cent. Major export items are readymade garments (knit wear and woven garments), vegetables, potato, cereals, fruit juice, fish and crustaceans, footwear, pharmaceuticals, plastics, tea and spices etc.