Malaysia has been one of Sweden’s most important trading partners in Southeast Asia for a long time. The country has a stable business climate and the current government has actively worked to increase its attractiveness to do business. As a result, foreign direct investments have grown at a steady pace.

Smooth business in Southeast Asia

In the past decade, the Malaysian economy has shown a remarkable growth, at a yearly rate of five percent on average since 2008. An important reason for this is the easiness to do business in the country. This is reflected by Malaysia’s 12th position in the “Ease of doing business” list of the World Bank’s “Doing Business Report 2019”. 

Opportunities for Swedish companies

With a growing middle-class and a fast-evolving industry landscape, Malaysia is now undergoing a rapid digital transformation. Driven by both the private sector and the government, initiatives were set up related to Industry 4.0, Smart Cities, e-commerce and 5G connectivity. The stable economic growth and the urbanisation in recent years have also led to an increased demand for infrastructure and high-quality transportation equipment.

Swedish export to Malaysia has been steady for the past decade, with the most important export products being machinery, electronics and transportation equipment. For Swedish companies, there is great potential within environmental technology, manufacturing and infrastructure.

How we can help

Business Sweden opened its office in Kuala Lumpur in 2005. We offer local support and advise Swedish companies how to strategically expand their business in the area.