SINGAPORE, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's domestic wholesale sales fell 7.2 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, according to data released Tuesday by the Department of Statistics.
Excluding petroleum, domestic wholesale sales declined by 7.8 percent.
On a quarter-on-quarter basis, seasonally adjusted domestic wholesale sales fell 5.3 percent. Excluding petroleum, the drop was sharper at 7.3 percent.
Most wholesale trade industries recorded year-on-year declines in domestic sales. Sales in the chemicals and chemical products sector fell 36.7 percent, mainly due to reduced demand for petrochemical products. The industrial and construction machinery sector declined by 21.0 percent, while the telecommunications and computers sector dropped 18.6 percent, both impacted by lower sales of equipment and hardware.
In contrast, foreign wholesale sales edged up 1.1 percent year-on-year in the first quarter. Excluding petroleum, foreign sales rose by 7.7 percent.
The wholesale trade sector is the largest services industry in Singapore, serving as a key intermediary in the production value chain, the department noted. ■
