The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Singaporean global shipments during 2018. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Singapore.

1. Electrical machinery, equipment: US$128.7 billion (31.3% of total exports)
2. Machinery including computers: $58.7 billion (14.3%)
3. Mineral fuels including oil: $54 billion (13.1%)
4. Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $19.2 billion (4.7%)
5. Gems, precious metals: $17 billion (4.1%)
6. Organic chemicals: $16.9 billion (4.1%)
7. Plastics, plastic articles: $15.9 billion (3.9%)
8. Perfumes, cosmetics: $8.4 billion (2%)
9. Pharmaceuticals: $8.4 billion (2%)
10. Aircraft, spacecraft: $7.4 billion (1.8%)

Singapore’s top 10 exports represent 81.3% of the overall value of its global shipments.

Pharmaceuticals was the fastest-growing among the top 10 export categories, up 41.7% from 2017 to 2018.

In second place for improving export sales was the perfumes and cosmetics category which appreciated by 28.6%.

Singapore’s mineral fuels-related goods posted the third-fastest gain in value, up 13% year over year propelled by expanding international sales of refined petroleum oils.

Gems and precious was the only declining top category from 2017 to 2018 via its -0.4% slowdown.

Note that the results listed above are at the categorized two-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code level. For a more granular view of exported goods at the four-digit HTS code level, see the section Searchable List of Singapore’s Most Valuable Export Products further down near the bottom of this article.

Overall, Singapore posted a $41.3 billion trade surplus in 2018. Singapore’s trade surplus shrank -9.4% from $45.5 billion in black ink one year earlier.

The following types of Singaporean product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.

In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.

1. Electrical machinery, equipment: US$27.1 billion (Down by -12.5% since 2017)
2. Organic chemicals: $10 billion (Up by 6.6%)
3. Plastics, plastic articles: $7.2 billion (Up by 4.2%)
4. Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $7.1 billion (Up by 12.5%)
5. Machinery including computers: $5.7 billion (Down by -21.4%)
6. Pharmaceuticals: $5.4 billion (Up by 59.6%)
7. Miscellaneous food preparations: $4.1 billion (Up by 301.8%)
8. Perfumes, cosmetics: $3.9 billion (Up by 36.3%)
9. Other chemical goods: $1.2 billion (Up by 46.4%)
10. Cereal/milk preparations: $1.1 billion (Up by 6%)

Singapore has highly positive net exports in the international trade of electronics including consumer gadgets. In turn, these cashflows indicate Singapore’s strong competitive advantages under the electrical machinery and equipment category.

Below are exports from Singapore that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Singapore’s goods trail Singaporean importer spending on foreign products.

1. Mineral fuels including oil: US-$33.8 billion (Up by 37.7% since 2017)
2. Aircraft, spacecraft: -$4.4 billion (Up by 215.9%)
3. Gems, precious metals: -$3.4 billion (Up by 11.1%)
4. Vehicles: -$1.7 billion (Up by 9%)
5. Iron, steel: -$1.1 billion (Up by 31.6%)
6. Articles of iron or steel: -$970.8 million (Up by 18.6%)
7. Furniture, bedding, lighting, signs, prefab buildings: -$959.7 million (Up by 15.5%)
8. Dairy, eggs, honey: -$827.7 million (Up by 19%)
9. Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: -$819.3 million (Down by -13.2%)
10. Meat: -$782 million (Up by 2.9%)

Singapore has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits for mineral fuels-related goods, particularly crude oil, petroleum gases and refined petroleum oils.

These cashflow deficiencies clearly indicate Singapore’s competitive disadvantages in the international fossil fuel market, but also represent key opportunities for Singapore to improve its position in the global economy through focused innovations especially alternative energy sources.

Singaporean Export Companies

Seventeen corporations rank among Forbes Global 2000. Below is a sample of the major Singaporean export companies that Forbes included:

• Wilmar International (food processing)
• Keppel Corp (industrial conglomerates)
• Flextronics International (electronics)
• Avago Technologies (semiconductors)
• ST Engineering (aerospace )
• Olam International (food processing)
• Golden Agri-Resources (food processing)
• China Aviation Oil (jet fuel trading)

Wikipedia also lists exporters from Singapore. Selected examples are shown below:

• Singapore Technologies Engineering (electronics manufacturing)
• Medical Technology (medical/healthcare equipment)
• Singapore Telecommunications Limited (communications)

According to global trade intelligence firm Zepol, the following smaller companies are also examples of Singaporean export companies:

• Wajilam Export Singapore (wood, chocolate)
• Asahi Glass Singapore (glass sheets)
• Sephora Singapore (copper pipes/tubes, cabinets)
• Ltt Veneer Singapore (soybean flours, hams)