26.05.202603:17:11UTC+00Brunei Trade Surplus Hits 4-Month High

Brunei’s trade surplus widened to BND 597.0 million in March 2026, up from BND 491.7 million a year earlier, marking the largest surplus since October. Exports jumped 32.7% year-on-year to BND 1.66 billion — the highest level in more than three years — driven by robust growth in mineral fuels (34.1%) and chemicals (30.5%).

Australia remained Brunei’s leading export market, accounting for 31.2% of total shipments, followed by China (14.2%), Singapore (14.2%), Japan (6.4%), and India (6.2%).

On the import side, purchases rose 40.0% to BND 1.06 billion, largely reflecting a sharp 57.4% increase in mineral fuel imports. Singapore was the main source of imports, supplying 52.4% of total inbound shipments, ahead of Australia (14.3%), Malaysia (11.2%), Vietnam (4.3%), China (3.2%), and the United States (1.8%).

For the first quarter of 2026, the trade surplus inched up to BND 1.57 billion from BND 1.46 billion a year earlier, as exports grew 4.9% while imports increased at a slower pace of 3.1%.