24.06.202607:23:32UTC+00Brunei Trade Surplus Hits 12-Year High

Brunei’s trade surplus jumped to BND 1.12 billion in April 2026 from BND 0.4 billion a year earlier, marking the highest level since April 2014. The improvement was driven by a 75.8% year-on-year surge in exports to BND 2.06 billion, the strongest reading since December 2009. Export growth was underpinned by robust gains in mineral fuels (up 83.1%) and chemicals (up 48.4%).

Australia was Brunei’s largest export destination, taking 32.8% of total shipments, followed by Singapore (16.0%), Japan (12.9%), China (11.2%), and Thailand (10.3%).

Imports also increased, but at a more moderate pace of 21.6%, reaching BND 0.94 billion. The rise in imports was led by higher purchases of mineral fuels (up 22.6%) and machinery and transport equipment (up 33.4%). Malaysia remained the dominant source of imports, supplying 67.8% of total inbound shipments, ahead of Vietnam (6.0%), China (5.4%), the UK (4.2%), and the U.S. (2.6%).

Over the first four months of 2026, Brunei’s trade surplus widened to BND 2.69 billion from BND 1.86 billion in the same period a year earlier, as exports expanded by 22.3% while imports rose at a slower rate of 8.0%.