In November 2025, Brunei experienced a decrease in its trade surplus, which fell to BND 390.0 million from BND 429.3 million in the same month of the previous year. This represents the smallest trade surplus since May, attributed to a more significant drop in imports as compared to exports. On an annual basis, imports plummeted by 10.4% to BND 648.7 million, driven by reduced demand for products such as mineral fuels, down by 6.3%, and machinery and transport equipment, which decreased by 14.7%. Malaysia remained Brunei's leading import source, accounting for 50.4% of the total imports, followed by South Africa at 13.1%, China at 7.4%, with Australia, Singapore, and the United States contributing 5.1%, 4.0%, and 3.0% respectively.
Conversely, exports experienced a decline of 9.5%, reaching a total of BND 1.04 billion, largely due to a significant drop in the export of mineral fuels, which fell by 16.4%. Major export markets included Australia, which received 23.1% of Brunei's exports, followed by China at 15.7%, Japan at 12.3%, Singapore at 11.3%, and Vietnam at 8.5%. Over the first eleven months of the year, the trade surplus stood at BND 4.92 billion, showing marginal change from BND 4.91 billion in the same period the previous year. This was a result of an 11.2% decline in exports alongside a more substantial reduction in imports, which decreased by 17.4%.
