Geography plays a particularly important role in promoting Singapore's merchandise trade. Located on the Strait of Malacca - one of the busiest international shipping routes in the world - Singapore is a strategic transshipment hub linking Asia with Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. This location enables goods from Singapore to reach major regional markets such as China, India, ASEAN, and Northeast Asia with short transit times and low costs. Together with its modern seaport and airport system, Singapore not only develops import-export activities but also plays an important role in global supply chains.

From a language perspective, English is one of Singapore's official languages and is widely used in administration, education, and commerce. This helps reduce language barriers in negotiations, transactions, and legal compliance, while also creating favorable conditions for international enterprises to operate and cooperate in trade. In addition, a transparent and stable legal environment that operates in English enhances reliability and efficiency in dispute settlement and contract enforcement.

Singapore also has one of the region’s most advanced logistics and trade infrastructures, with a seaport ranked among the world's largest in container throughput and Changi Airport serving as a key international air cargo hub in the region. Together with its free trade policies and extensive network of multilateral and bilateral trade agreements, Singapore has built a dynamic, highly integrated business environment that is ready to connect with the global economy. Taken together, these factors have enabled Singapore to maintain its position as one of the world's leading trade and logistics centers for many years.

During the 2015-2025 period, Singapore's trade recorded impressive growth. According to ITC Trade Map data, the country's total merchandise trade turnover increased from USD 643.4 billion in 2015 to USD 1,070 billion in 2025 - a figure nearly twice its GDP, reflecting the very high degree of openness and deep integration of the Singaporean economy into global trade chains. Notably, Singapore maintained a trade surplus for many consecutive years, reaching USD 62.12 billion in 2025, confirming the country's competitiveness and trade efficiency.

Table: Singapore's Merchandise Trade Turnover, 2015-2025

Unit: USD billion

Source: ITC Trade Map, 2026

Exports

During the 2015-2025 period, Singapore's exports grew rapidly, from USD 346.6 billion in 2015 to USD 565.86 billion in 2025.

Singapore's export structure is concentrated mainly in high-value machinery and equipment products (electrical, mechanical, and optical), which account for nearly 59% of the country's total export turnover. In addition, Singapore also exports significant amounts of mineral fuels, precious stones, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and other products.

Table: Top 10 Main Export Products of Singapore in 2025

Source: ITC Trade Map, 2026

Imports

Singapore's imports have also increased significantly over the past decade (with growth even higher than that of exports, although at a lower absolute value), rising from USD 296.8 billion in 2015 to USD 503.74 billion in 2025.

Singapore's import structure shows strong import demand for machinery and production inputs, including electrical/mechanical machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, and the like. Notably, the structure of imported products is almost identical to Singapore's export structure, clearly reflecting the role of this city-state as a major hub for transshipment, processing, and re-export in global supply chains. Imported goods are often sorted, assembled, refined, or repackaged before being re-exported to regional and global markets. This trade model demonstrates Singapore's high level of specialization and deep integration into international trade networks.

In addition, it should be noted that because Singapore focuses on producing high-value products (electronics, high-tech equipment, etc.) while its labor supply is limited, the country has to import most products that serve daily consumption needs, such as food and fashion products, even though these products are not listed among its top import items because their value is small compared with many high-value products exported by the country. This opens up considerable opportunities for foreign producers and exporters, including Vietnamese enterprises that are already familiar with producing and supplying everyday consumer goods.

Table: Top 10 Main Import Products of Singapore in 2025

Source: ITC Trade Map, 2026

Source: Center for WTO and International Trade - VCCI

• Singapore's market size
• Consumer characteristics in Singapore
• Characteristics of Singapore's distribution system
• Vietnam's export situation to Singapore