Malaysia's palm oil consumption 2014-2024

In the year 2023/24, the domestic consumption of palm oil in Malaysia was around 3.67 million metric tons. Malaysia’s domestic consumption made up only a fraction of its total palm oil output, and the country exports most of the palm oil it produces. 

Domestic consumption versus export

Malaysia is the world’s second-largest exporter of palm oil in terms of volume, after Indonesia. In 2023, it exported around 14.8 million metric tons of palm oil, almost five times more than the domestic consumption. By comparison, Indonesia’s domestic palm oil consumption was around a third of the palm oil it produced in that year.

Domestic uses of palm oil

The domestic consumption of palm oil in Malaysia can be divided into two sectors: food and in biofuels. As a global leader in palm oil production, Malaysia had long promoted palm oil as a healthy and nutritious food commodity. This seemed to have had an impact on the population – close to 80 percent of Malaysians were of the opinion that palm oil is healthier than soybean oil.