Brunei Darussalam: External balance on goods and services (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Brunei Darussalam's external balance on goods and services (% of GDP) rose 3.58 percentage points on 2024 (from 15.95% to 19.53%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.48 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 8.4 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 21.48 percentage points in 2000 and the biggest yearly fall was 19.4 percentage points in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 29% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, Brunei Darussalam had the 7th highest value of the 137 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Brunei Darussalam in the 2025 ranking

• Singapore — 3rd of 137: 35.4%
• Luxembourg — 4th of 137: 31.16%
• Gabon — 5th of 137: 26.09%
• Malta — 7th of 137: 19.2%
• Equatorial Guinea — 8th of 137: 18.11%
• Djibouti — 9th of 137: 14.69%

What this measures

The balance of international trade in goods and services is the difference between the exports and imports of goods and services. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 47 values

External balance on goods and services (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• American Samoa — -30.77% (2022)
• Australia — 0.59% (2025)
• Cambodia — 1.2% (2025)
• China — 4.19% (2025)
• Fiji — -10.15% (2024)
• French Polynesia — -27.83% (2024)
• Guam — -56.09% (2022)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 2.87% (2025)
• Indonesia — 2.3% (2025)
• Japan

More economic policy & debt data for Brunei Darussalam

• GDP (current US$) — US$15.03 billion (2025)
• GDP (current LCU) — 19.66 billion (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$32,235 (2025)
• GDP per capita (current LCU) — 42,150 (2025)
• Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$) — US$61.81 million (2025)
• Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) — 0.41% (2025)
• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$) — US$177.58 million (2025)
• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU) — 232.21 million (2025)
• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Brunei Darussalam's external balance on goods and services (% of GDP)?

19.53% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1974?

It is down 14.12 percentage points from 33.65% in 1974. The highest value was 42.14% in 2008 and the lowest -5.06% in 1998.

How does Brunei Darussalam rank?

7th highest of 137 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in external balance on goods and services (% of GDP) unusual for Brunei Darussalam?

In 2025, Brunei Darussalam's external balance on goods and services (% of GDP) rose 3.58 percentage points on 2024 (from 15.95% to 19.53%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.48 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 8.4 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NE.RSB.GNFS.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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