FX.co ★ Brunei Trade Surplus Narrows In January

Brunei’s trade surplus narrowed to BND 467.9 million in January 2026 from BND 516.9 million a year earlier, as softer external demand weighed on exports. Outbound shipments fell 6.8% year-on-year to BND 1.15 billion, primarily reflecting declines in mineral fuels (-7.8%) and chemicals (-6.3%). Australia remained Brunei’s largest export market, accounting for 30.2% of total shipments, followed by China (22.8%), Japan (12.2%), Singapore (10.5%), and Thailand (9.4%).

On the import side, purchases from abroad decreased 4.8% to BND 678.1 million, driven largely by weaker demand for mineral fuels (-13.3%). Singapore was the leading source of imports (33.4%), ahead of the United Arab Emirates (16.3%), Malaysia (13.9%), Australia (9.9%), China (5.4%), and Vietnam (4.4%).

For 2025 as a whole, the trade surplus eased to BND 5.06 billion from BND 5.28 billion in 2024, as exports contracted by 10.4% and imports fell by 13.8%, pointing to broadly softer trade activity.