01Key Takeaways
- Brunei's imports totaled $7.48 billion in 2023, down 18.5% from $9.18 billion in 2022, the sharpest annual pullback in the five-year period.
- Malaysia was the top supplier at 26.4% of imports worth $1.97 billion, more than double the next largest supplier.
- The UAE ranked a distant second at 10.9% ($817.08 million), and the top three suppliers together made up 47.8% of total import value.
- Mineral fuels led all import categories at 63.8% of total value ($4.77 billion), far ahead of machinery at 5.6%.
025-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $5.1B | $5.3B | $8.6B | $9.2B | $7.5B |
03Top Import Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malaysia | $2.0B | 26.4% |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates | $817.1M | 10.9% |
| 3 | China | $784.2M | 10.5% |
| 4 | Australia | $541.5M | 7.2% |
| 5 | Qatar | $469.8M | 6.3% |
| 6 | Kazakhstan | $450.6M | 6.0% |
| 7 | Singapore | $345.9M | 4.6% |
| 8 | Saudi Arabia | $279.6M | 3.7% |
| 9 | United States | $279.0M | 3.7% |
| 10 | Russia | $239.9M | 3.2% |
04Top Import Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $4.8B | 63.8% |
| 2 | Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Parts thereof | $419.1M | 5.6% |
| 3 | Pharmaceutical Products | $226.9M | 3.0% |
| 4 | Vehicles other than Railway or Tramway Rolling-Stock, and parts and accessories thereof | $214.4M | 2.9% |
| 5 | Electrical Machinery and Equipment and parts thereof; Sound Recorders and Reproducers, Television Image and Sound Recorders and Reproducers, and Parts and Accessories of such Articles | $183.6M | 2.5% |
| 6 | Articles of Iron or Steel | $122.3M | 1.6% |
| 7 | Iron and Steel | $92.9M | 1.2% |
| 8 | Optical, Photographic, Cinematographic, Measuring, Checking, Precision, Medical or Surgical Instruments and Apparatus; Parts and Accessories thereof | $81.7M | 1.1% |
| 9 | Organic Chemicals | $77.8M | 1.0% |
| 10 | Edible Fruit and Nuts; Peel of Citrus Fruit or Melons | $72.2M | 1.0% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Malaysia and the UAE Lead a Supplier List Heavy on Oil Producers
Brunei imported $7.48 billion worth of goods in 2023, the latest year with verified trade data in this dataset. That total marks a decline of 18.5% from the $9.18 billion recorded in 2022, the sharpest annual pullback in the five-year span this dataset covers. Malaysia was the largest supplier, providing 26.4% of the total, worth $1.97 billion.
The United Arab Emirates ranked a distant second at 10.9% ($817.08 million), ahead of China at 10.5% ($784.24 million) and Australia at 7.2% ($541.51 million). Qatar took fifth place at 6.3% ($469.85 million), followed by Kazakhstan at 6.0% ($450.60 million) and Singapore at 4.6% ($345.91 million). Saudi Arabia took eighth place at 3.7% ($279.63 million), the United States added 3.7% ($278.99 million), and Russia rounded out the top ten at 3.2% ($239.93 million). Together, the top three suppliers made up 47.8% of total import value.
Five of Brunei's top ten suppliers, the UAE, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, and Russia, are themselves major oil and gas exporters, a striking pattern for a country that produces and exports substantial volumes of crude oil and liquefied natural gas of its own. Brunei's own crude oil production has declined sharply in recent years. Trading Economics tracks a record low of roughly 52,000 barrels per day in May 2023, a steep drop from the country's historical output levels. That shortfall has to be filled with imported crude oil and condensate to keep the country's domestic refinery running at capacity, a gap reflected directly in the list of major energy producers appearing among Brunei's top suppliers. Malaysia's first-place position and China's third-place ranking add manufactured goods, machinery, and consumer products to the mix, while Singapore, the USA, and Australia round out a supplier base spanning regional and global trade relationships beyond energy alone.
Fuel Imports Dominate Despite Brunei's Own Oil and Gas Production
Mineral fuels, mineral oils and related distillation products led all import categories in 2023, worth $4.77 billion and accounting for 63.8% of total import value, far ahead of every other category. Machinery and mechanical appliances, boilers and nuclear reactors followed at 5.6% ($419.11 million), and pharmaceutical products ranked third at 3.0% ($226.91 million).
Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling stock added 2.9% ($214.39 million), while electrical machinery and equipment contributed 2.5% ($183.59 million). Iron or steel articles brought in 1.6% ($122.30 million), and iron and steel added 1.2% ($92.93 million). Optical, photographic and medical instruments contributed 1.1% ($81.68 million), organic chemicals added 1.0% ($77.84 million), and fruit and nuts closed out the top ten at 1.0% ($72.22 million).
Fuel's overwhelming share on the import side mirrors its position on Brunei's export side, where the same category also leads by a wide margin. That is not a contradiction so much as a reflection of how a modern oil refinery operates: crude oil and condensate come in from Brunei's own fields and from imported cargoes, and refined products like petrol, diesel, and jet fuel go back out, with some volume also returning to the domestic market to meet local energy needs. Machinery, vehicles, and electrical equipment further down the list point to steady demand for transport and industrial goods that Brunei's small population and economy do not produce domestically. Pharmaceutical products, optical instruments, and organic chemicals round out a list weighted toward specialized industrial and medical inputs, while fruit and nuts stand out as one of the few categories reflecting ordinary food imports for a country that grows relatively little of its own produce.
A Sharp Pullback After a Peak Year
Brunei's imports followed a mostly upward path over the past five years before pulling back. Imports held roughly steady from $5.10 billion in 2019 to $5.34 billion in 2020, a period when many countries saw larger swings from pandemic-related disruptions, then climbed sharply to $8.57 billion in 2021 and further to a five-year high of $9.18 billion in 2022, before declining 18.5% to $7.48 billion in 2023.
The 2023 pullback appears on both sides of Brunei's trade ledger, a pattern consistent with global oil and gas prices easing from the highs of 2022 and pulling down the value of both the crude and refined products the country trades in either direction. For a closer look at how individual partner countries or product categories break down year over year, the data panels above provide the full detail behind these figures.