That compared with a 7.7% increase in August, and lower than the 10.8% rise forecast by economists in a Reuters poll.

Exports of electronics jumped 21.4% from a low base a year ago.

On a seasonally adjusted month-on-month basis, exports contracted 11.3% in September after a 10.5% rise in the previous month, Enterprise Singapore said in a statement. The pace of drop was the steepest since March 2019.

Economists had forecast a 3% shrinkage.

(Reporting by Chen Lin; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)