Malaysia: Portfolio equity, net inflows (BoP, current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Malaysia's portfolio equity, net inflows (BoP, current US$) fell US$7.69 billion on 2024 (from US$4.98 billion to −US$2.71 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2024), the average change was +US$167.69 million and a typical year strayed about US$4.41 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was US$10.27 billion in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was US$10.05 billion in 2008. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, Malaysia had the 94th highest value of the 103 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Malaysia in the 2025 ranking

• South Africa — 91st of 103: −US$1.16 billion
• Argentina — 92nd of 103: −US$1.42 billion
• Indonesia — 93rd of 103: −US$1.59 billion
• Chile — 95th of 103: −US$3.14 billion
• Poland — 96th of 103: −US$3.59 billion
• Russian Federation — 97th of 103: −US$3.76 billion

What this measures

Portfolio equity includes net inflows from equity securities other than those recorded as direct investment and including shares, stocks, depository receipts (American or global), and direct purchases of shares in local stock markets by foreign investors. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Limitations: Portfolio investors typically have less of a role in the decision making of the enterprise with potentially important implications for future flows and for the volatility of the price and volume of positions. Portfolio investment differs from other investment in that it provides a direct way to access financial markets, and thus it can provide liquidity and flexibility. It is associated with financial markets and with their specialized service providers, such as exchanges, dealers, and regulators. The nature of financial derivatives as instruments through which risk is traded in its own right in financial markets sets them apart from other types of investment.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 49 values

Portfolio equity, net inflows (BoP, current US$) in nearby economies

• Australia — US$18.94 billion (2025)
• China — US$35.76 billion (2025)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — US$19.64 billion (2025)
• Indonesia — −US$1.59 billion (2025)
• Japan — US$57.42 billion (2025)
• Korea, Rep. — −US$5.75 billion (2025)
• Lao PDR — −US$977,697 (2025)
• Macao SAR, China — US$28.17 million (2025)
• Mongolia — US$43.02 million (2025)
• New Zealand

More economic policy & debt data for Malaysia

• Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$125.63 billion (2025)
• Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$120.17 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$58.41 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 250.26 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$59.37 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant LCU) — 231.87 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) — 12.37% (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$291.01 billion (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Malaysia's portfolio equity, net inflows (BoP, current US$)?

−US$2.71 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How does Malaysia rank?

94th highest of 103 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in portfolio equity, net inflows (BoP, current US$) unusual for Malaysia?

In 2025, Malaysia's portfolio equity, net inflows (BoP, current US$) fell US$7.69 billion on 2024 (from US$4.98 billion to −US$2.71 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2024), the average change was +US$167.69 million and a typical year strayed about US$4.41 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF); International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BX.PEF.TOTL.CD.WD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF); International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.