01Key Takeaways
- Singapore imported $422.42 billion worth of goods in 2023, down 11.1% from $475.41 billion in 2022, the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset.
- Electrical machinery and equipment led import categories at 31.1% ($131.34 billion), the same category that leads Singapore's export list.
- China supplied 13.9% of imports ($58.79 billion), the largest single partner.
- The USA ranked second among partners at 12.3% ($52.06 billion).
025-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $359.0B | $328.6B | $406.3B | $475.4B | $422.4B |
03Top Import Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | $58.8B | 13.9% |
| 2 | United States | $52.1B | 12.3% |
| 3 | Other Asia, nes | $48.6B | 11.5% |
| 4 | Malaysia | $47.6B | 11.3% |
| 5 | South Korea | $25.7B | 6.1% |
| 6 | Japan | $21.2B | 5.0% |
| 7 | Indonesia | $16.0B | 3.8% |
| 8 | France | $13.8B | 3.3% |
| 9 | United Arab Emirates | $12.2B | 2.9% |
| 10 | Thailand | $12.0B | 2.8% |
04Top Import Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrical Machinery and Equipment and parts thereof; Sound Recorders and Reproducers, Television Image and Sound Recorders and Reproducers, and Parts and Accessories of such Articles | $131.3B | 31.1% |
| 2 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $87.3B | 20.7% |
| 3 | Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Parts thereof | $64.3B | 15.2% |
| 4 | Natural or Cultured Pearls, Precious or Semi-Precious Stones, Precious Metals, Metals Clad with Precious Metal, and Articles thereof; Imitation Jewellery; Coin | $20.8B | 4.9% |
| 5 | Optical, Photographic, Cinematographic, Measuring, Checking, Precision, Medical or Surgical Instruments and Apparatus; Parts and Accessories thereof | $13.3B | 3.1% |
| 6 | Organic Chemicals | $11.1B | 2.6% |
| 7 | Aircraft, Spacecraft and parts thereof | $10.2B | 2.4% |
| 8 | Plastics and Articles thereof | $6.9B | 1.6% |
| 9 | Essential Oils and Resinoids; Perfumery, Cosmetic or Toilet Preparations | $4.9B | 1.2% |
| 10 | Miscellaneous Chemical Products | $4.6B | 1.1% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Import Value Fell Back From a Five-Year High
Singapore imported $422.42 billion worth of goods in 2023, down 11.1% from $475.41 billion in 2022. This is the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset. The dataset covers a full five years, from 2019 through 2023.
Import value dipped early in this five-year window before climbing steadily upward again. It stood at $358.97 billion in 2019, eased to $328.62 billion in 2020, then rose for two straight years, reaching $406.32 billion in 2021 and $475.41 billion in 2022, the highest point in this five-year window. It then eased back down to $422.42 billion in 2023.
This pattern closely mirrors the export side of trade for this country, which also peaked in 2022 before declining in 2023. This dataset does not include information explaining what drove either year's movement on either side of Singapore's trade. Import value in 2023 nonetheless remains well above every year in this dataset before 2021, echoing the same overall growth pattern seen on the export side across this five-year window.
Electrical Machinery and Fuel Lead Imports, Just as They Lead Exports
Electrical machinery and equipment led every import category in 2023. They were worth $131.34 billion, or 31.1% of the total, the same category that leads Singapore's export list, covered in the companion export data for this country. Mineral fuels followed at 20.7% ($87.33 billion). Singapore has no domestic oil production but has developed Jurong Island into one of the world's top oil-refining and petroleum-trading centers, a role consistent with fuel's prominent position on both the import and export sides of this dataset.
Machinery, boilers and mechanical appliances contributed 15.2% ($64.27 billion), and natural and precious stones, metals and jewellery added 4.9% ($20.84 billion). Optical, photographic and measuring instruments contributed 3.1% ($13.26 billion), and organic chemicals added 2.6% ($11.07 billion). Aircraft and spacecraft parts contributed 2.4% ($10.21 billion), and plastics added 1.6% ($6.95 billion). Essential oils and perfumery contributed 1.2% ($4.88 billion), and chemical products closed out the top ten at 1.1% ($4.56 billion).
Electrical machinery, fuel and general machinery together make up more than two-thirds of the total, describing an import list shaped by the same electronics and energy trading activity that dominates Singapore's exports. That overlap is consistent with an economy built substantially around processing, refining and re-exporting, rather than importing goods purely for domestic use. The remaining seven categories, from precious metals through to chemical products, each contribute a modest share, filling out a list otherwise dominated by the same handful of industries seen on the export side.
China and the USA Lead a Broad Import Partner List
China clearly supplied 13.9% of Singapore's imports in 2023, worth $58.79 billion, the largest single partner. United States ranked second at 12.3% ($52.06 billion). A category labeled "Other Asia, nes," a recognized catch-all classification within international trade statistics for shipments not assigned to a single specific origin, ranked third at 11.5% ($48.62 billion). Malaysia followed closely at 11.3% ($47.61 billion). Together, these top three entries alone made up 37.8% of total import value.
South Korea contributed 6.1% ($25.66 billion), and Japan added 5.0% ($21.19 billion). Indonesia contributed 3.8% ($15.98 billion), and France added 3.3% ($13.79 billion). United Arab Emirates contributed 2.9% ($12.23 billion), and Thailand closed out the top ten at 2.8% ($12.02 billion).
This import partner list closely resembles the export side of trade for this country, with China, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and Thailand all featuring prominently on both lists, alongside the same "Other Asia, nes" catch-all category. The USA appears higher on the import list than on the export list, where it ranked third rather than second. France and the UAE appear only among the import partners, not the export top ten, suggesting these relationships run more heavily in one direction than the other for this country.
Taken together, this dataset's most recent confirmed year describes a large economy importing electronics, fuel and machinery from a broad set of mostly Asian partners. That structure mirrors its export trade closely enough to describe an economy built around processing and re-exporting rather than simple one-way trade. Reading the import and export partner lists side by side for this country shows the same core group of Asian economies appearing on both. Goods move in and out of Singapore repeatedly as part of regional manufacturing and trading chains, rather than following a single straightforward path from producer to consumer.