PETALING JAYA: The country’s ecommerce income grew by 5.4% to RM289.5bil in the third quarter of this year compared with the same period last year, says Statistics Department chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin.

“On a quarter-on-quarter comparison, ecommerce income maintained a positive trend with a 3.2% increase,” he said in a statement yesterday.

The data was in the department’s report on the Malaysian digital economy for this year, with statistics on ecommerce, information and communication technology’s (ICT) contribution to the economy, access and usage of ICT, and the performance of the ICT services sector.

Mohd Uzir said ICT services comprise publishing; motion picture, video and TV programme production; sound recording and music publishing; programming and broadcasting; telecommunications; computer programming, consultancy and related activities; and information services.

The ICT industry contributed 7.9% to national employment, at 1.22 million employees compared with 1.21 million in 2021.

Ecommerce contributed 13.3% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022.

Mohd Uzir said ICT and ecommerce generated a value of RM412.3bil in 2022 (2021: RM359.3bil) with a growth of 14.8% (2021: 12.2%).

“In 2022, the contribution of ICT and ecommerce to the national economy reached 23% compared with to 23.2% in 2021.

“In the breakdown of ecommerce income by market segment for the year 2021, revenue generated from the domestic market significantly surpassed the international market at RM932.7bil, constituting an 89.9% share.

“In contrast, contributions from the international market amounted to RM104.5bil, accounting for a 10.1% share,” he added.

The report showed a marked increase in ICT usage by establishments and individuals nationwide, with the population covered by 5G network increasing from 4% in 2021 to 47.1% in 2022.

“Those having access to at least an Internet network was 96.9%. The report also showed that in 2022, there was more connectivity throughout the country,” said Mohd Uzir.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/11/30/ecommerce-income-growing-at-a-steady-clip