March Exports Up 61.8% Year-on-Year; Electronic and ICT Product Exports Hit New Monthly High
According to the Ministry of Finance, March exports reached US$80.18 billion, a 61.8% year-on-year increase, and imports were US$58.91 billion, up 38.3%, both setting new monthly records. Director Tsai Mei-na attributed the strong export performance to massive investment in AI infrastructure, mass production of AI cloud computing systems, tight raw material supply, and early procurement. Electronic and ICT products accounted for 81% of total exports, driving significant growth.
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- 📰 Published: April 10, 2026 at 19:08
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The Ministry of Finance today announced preliminary customs import and export trade statistics for March. March exports reached US$80.18 billion, a year-on-year increase of 61.8%, and imports were US$58.91 billion, a year-on-year increase of 38.3%. Both import and export values set new monthly records.
Tsai Mei-na, Director of the Department of Statistics, Ministry of Finance, stated that March's export performance was explosive, like "a sudden thunderclap on flat ground." Compared to February, it surged by 61%, and the year-on-year growth rate reached 61.8%, the third highest single-month growth rate in history, marking the 29th consecutive month of positive growth.
She attributed the significant export growth to four main reasons: massive global investment in AI infrastructure driving high-end related components; mass production of new-generation AI cloud computing systems leading to large shipments of related products; the general tightening of raw material supply in the electronics industry, causing an "inflationary warming" phenomenon throughout the supply chain, as seen in the export price increases announced by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, which have expanded to a nearly four-year high; and finally, component shortages and price pressures leading to early procurement and accelerated rollout of new products.
Regarding imports, the March import value crossed the US$50 billion mark for the first time. Tsai Mei-na said this mainly reflects the international division of labor in the overall AI supply chain, coupled with derivative demand from exports and increased procurement of semiconductor equipment, leading to new monthly highs in import values for electronic components and capital equipment in March.
Examining the 11 major export categories in March, 7 showed increases and 4 showed decreases. Tsai Mei-na stated that "information and communication and audio-visual products" dominated, contributing as much as three-quarters to export growth. Their export value of US$39.73 billion set a new monthly high, accounting for 49.5% of total exports, also a new monthly record. In addition, March's information and communication and audio-visual product exports increased by 1.3 times year-on-year, with graphics cards and servers being the most significant contributors.
March electronic component exports reached US$25.24 billion, a new monthly high, up 44% year-on-year. Tsai Mei-na explained that memory, due to tight supply and rising prices, has seen increases mostly above 1 times since February last year, and continued strong expansion of 1.3 times in March.
Tsai Mei-na pointed out that the combined export value of information and communication and audio-visual products and electronic components was US$64.97 billion, accounting for 81% of total exports, with a year-on-year growth rate of 88.5%. In contrast, other traditional industrial goods only increased by an average of 0.9%, with varying performances among categories. Better-performing categories included machinery and electrical products, with exports up 16.3% and 12% year-on-year, respectively. Basic metals and their products, and textiles, however, remained suppressed by weak market conditions, with exports down 7.4% and 10.3% year-on-year.
The weakest performing export category was transportation equipment, with a 15.6% decrease compared to the same month last year. The main factors were a decline in automotive components sold to the United States and passenger cars sold to the Middle East, with the latter speculated to be due to the Middle East conflict delaying shipment schedules.
Looking ahead to April's export performance, Tsai Mei-na explained that considering the seasonal structure over the years, April's export figures are usually lower than March's. She estimates April's export value to be between US$70 billion and US$73.5 billion. If this prediction comes true, it will be the second highest single-month level in history, with a predicted year-on-year growth rate between 44% and 51%, confirming 30 consecutive months of positive growth. (Editor: Yang Lanxuan) 1150410
Tsai Mei-na, Director of the Department of Statistics, Ministry of Finance, stated that March's export performance was explosive, like "a sudden thunderclap on flat ground." Compared to February, it surged by 61%, and the year-on-year growth rate reached 61.8%, the third highest single-month growth rate in history, marking the 29th consecutive month of positive growth.
She attributed the significant export growth to four main reasons: massive global investment in AI infrastructure driving high-end related components; mass production of new-generation AI cloud computing systems leading to large shipments of related products; the general tightening of raw material supply in the electronics industry, causing an "inflationary warming" phenomenon throughout the supply chain, as seen in the export price increases announced by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, which have expanded to a nearly four-year high; and finally, component shortages and price pressures leading to early procurement and accelerated rollout of new products.
Regarding imports, the March import value crossed the US$50 billion mark for the first time. Tsai Mei-na said this mainly reflects the international division of labor in the overall AI supply chain, coupled with derivative demand from exports and increased procurement of semiconductor equipment, leading to new monthly highs in import values for electronic components and capital equipment in March.
Examining the 11 major export categories in March, 7 showed increases and 4 showed decreases. Tsai Mei-na stated that "information and communication and audio-visual products" dominated, contributing as much as three-quarters to export growth. Their export value of US$39.73 billion set a new monthly high, accounting for 49.5% of total exports, also a new monthly record. In addition, March's information and communication and audio-visual product exports increased by 1.3 times year-on-year, with graphics cards and servers being the most significant contributors.
March electronic component exports reached US$25.24 billion, a new monthly high, up 44% year-on-year. Tsai Mei-na explained that memory, due to tight supply and rising prices, has seen increases mostly above 1 times since February last year, and continued strong expansion of 1.3 times in March.
Tsai Mei-na pointed out that the combined export value of information and communication and audio-visual products and electronic components was US$64.97 billion, accounting for 81% of total exports, with a year-on-year growth rate of 88.5%. In contrast, other traditional industrial goods only increased by an average of 0.9%, with varying performances among categories. Better-performing categories included machinery and electrical products, with exports up 16.3% and 12% year-on-year, respectively. Basic metals and their products, and textiles, however, remained suppressed by weak market conditions, with exports down 7.4% and 10.3% year-on-year.
The weakest performing export category was transportation equipment, with a 15.6% decrease compared to the same month last year. The main factors were a decline in automotive components sold to the United States and passenger cars sold to the Middle East, with the latter speculated to be due to the Middle East conflict delaying shipment schedules.
Looking ahead to April's export performance, Tsai Mei-na explained that considering the seasonal structure over the years, April's export figures are usually lower than March's. She estimates April's export value to be between US$70 billion and US$73.5 billion. If this prediction comes true, it will be the second highest single-month level in history, with a predicted year-on-year growth rate between 44% and 51%, confirming 30 consecutive months of positive growth. (Editor: Yang Lanxuan) 1150410