Brunei Balance of Trade

Last Release

Apr 30, 2025

Actual

395.6

Units In

BND Million

495

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

N/A

Time to Release

N/A

Highest	Lowest	Average	Date Range	Source
2,971.45 Sep 2008	-513.5 Jun 2021	700.89 BND Million	2005-2025	N/A

As an oil producer, Brunei has been able to run consistent trade surpluses despite having to import most of what it consumes. Oil and natural gas account for almost 90 percent of Brunei’s exports. Other exports include machinery and transport equipment and chemicals. Brunei mainly imports machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, fuels and lubricants, chemical products, and miscellaneous manufactured articles. Brunei’s main trading partners are Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, India, China, Australia, the United States and Thailand.

Latest Updates

Brunei’s trade surplus dropped to BND 252.3 million in May 2025 from BND 404.5 million in the same month a year earlier. It was the lowest trade surplus since a deficit in June 2023, as exports shrank more than imports amid rising global trade barriers. Exports plunged 27.7% yoy to an 11-month low of BND 1,027.9 million, dragged by lower shipments of mineral fuels (-33.8%), chemicals (-9.9%), and machinery and transport equipment (-5.5%). Key export destinations included China (19.4% of total exports), Australia (17.1%), South Korea (10.9%), Taiwan (9.6%), and Singapore (7.7%). Meanwhile, imports dropped 23.7% to BND 775.6 million, mainly due to weaker demand for mineral fuels (-30.4%), manufactured goods (-13.1%), and machinery and transport equipment (-10.5%). Malaysia remained the top import source (39.6%), followed by Russia (24.3%), China (6.8%), Australia (4.9%), and Vietnam (4.1%). For January–May, the trade surplus fell to BND 2.12 billion from BND 2.49 billion a year earlier.