GFmag Online Readers Survey 2012
Brunei


Brunei Country Report: GDP data and GDP forecasts; economic, financial and trade information; the best banks in Brunei; country and population overview

DATA ON GDP AND ECONOMIC INFORMATION
Central bankN/A
International ReservesUS$ 1.563 billion (Source: World Bank; Data updated: November 2010)
Gross Domestic Product - GDPUS$ 16.313 billion (2009 estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)21.237 billion of International dollars (2009 estimate)
Real GDP growth
20002001200220032004200520062007
2.9%2.7%3.9%2.9%0.5%0.4%4.4%0.2%
2008200920102011*
-1.9%-1.8%4.1%3.1%

*Estimate

GDP per capita - current pricesUS$ 38,192 (2009 estimate)
GDP per capita - PPP$49,719 International Dollars (2009 estimate)
GDP (PPP) - share of world total
19801990200020102015**
N/A0.04%0.03%0.03%0.02%

**Forecast

GDP - composition by sector
  • agriculture: 0.9% 
  • industry: 72.3% 
  • services: 26.8% (2011 estimate)

    • (Data released on February 2012)

Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (% of GDP)N/A

(Data released on November 2010)

Inflation
2008200920102011*
2.7%(2008)1%0.5%1.2%

*Estimate

Unemployment rate
2008200920102011*
3.7%3.7%3.7%(2009)3.7%

*Estimate

Household saving ratesN/A

(Data released on November 2010)

Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
20072008200920102011*
N/AN/A0%0%0%

*Estimate

Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
2007200820092010*2011**
14.7%31.8%3.6%12.6%14.9%

*Estimate    **Forecast

Government bond ratings

Standard & Poor's: N/A

Moody's rating: N/A

Moody's outlook: N/A

(Foreign Currency Government Bond Ratings; Data last updated Nov 2010)

Market value of publicly traded shares
200720082009
N/AN/AN/A
Largest companies in BruneiN/A
DATA ON TRADE AND COMPETITIVENESS
Current account balanceUS$ 7.3 billion (2010 estimate)(After 2008)
Current account balance by percentage of GDP44.6% of GDP (2009 estimate)(2009)
Exports as percent of GDP

(Exports of goods and services)

67.7% (2007)

(Data released on December 2010)

Shares in world total merchandising export0.06%(2007)

(Data were released in Nov 2011 and refer to 2010)

Shares in world total commercial services export0.03%(2007)

(Data were released in Nov 2011 and refer to 2010)

Total exportsN/A
Export commoditiescrude oil, natural gas, garments
Total importsUS$2.055 billion c.i.f. (2007 estimate)
Import commoditiesmachinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals
Exports - major partnersJapan 32.8%, Indonesia 24.4%, Australia 13.4%, South Korea 12.2%, US 5.5% (2007)
Imports - major partnersUK 46.4%, Singapore 19.5%, Malaysia 11.3% (2007)
FDI inflows
200820092010
US$239 millionUS$370 million(2009)US$496 million(2009)
FDI outflows
200820092010
US$16 millionUS$9 millionUS$6 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
2008200920102011
N/AUS$10 million(2009)N/A(2009)N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2008

(Acquiring company, Acquired company, Country of the acquired company, Value of the deal)

N/A

(for a monthly update on M&A click here )

Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2010

(Acquiring company, Acquired company, Country of the acquired company, Value of the deal)

N/A(2008 estimate)

(for a monthly update on M&A click here )

Best countries for doing business

World Bank/IFC Doing Business Project

(Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business, from 1 – 183. A high ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.)

Overall ranking: 112 out of 183 countries(2009) (2010)

Subcategories:

Starting a business: 133 out of 183 countries(2009)

Registering property: 183 out of 183 countries

Paying Taxes: 22 out of 183 countries

Getting credit: 116 out of 183 countries

Protecting investors: 120 out of 183 countries

Trading across border: 52 out of 183 countries

Enforcing Contracts: 159 out of 183 countries

(2010)

Global competitiveness ranking
(ranking by country on a basis of 142, the first is the best)		28

(2011/2012)

Index of Economic Freedom

WSJ and Heritage Foundation

N/A (2009)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed )

COUNTRY AND POPULATION OVERVIEW
Time zoneUTC+8
Total area 5,765 km2 (2006)
CapitalBandar Seri Begawan (2009)
CurrencyBruneian dollars (BND) (2009)
Government typeconstitutional sultanate (2009)
LanguagesMalay (official), English, Chinese
ReligionsMuslim (official) 67%, Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%, other (includes indigenous beliefs) 10%
Total population
1980199020002010*2015**
N/AN/A0.33 million0.42 million0.49 million

*Estimate    **Forecast

Urban population as % of total population
1960198020002009
43.4%59.9%71.1%75.3%
Population median age26.0 years (2006)
Population growth rate1.9% (2009)
Life expectancy77 years (2007)
Adult literacy95% (2000/2007)
% of population living on less than $2 a dayN/A
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)

N/A

(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)

Freedom House rating

Political Rights:6
Civil Liberties:5 (2010)

(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free)

Total telephone subscribers as % of population

129.1% (2010)

(sum of fixed telephone lines and mobile cellular subscribers)

Internet users as % of total population50% (Data were released in 2011 and refer to 2010)
Cost of living index

(ranking by city on a basis of 214; the 1st is the most expensive and the 214th is the least expensive)

Bandar Seri Begawan: 93rd (2011)

CO2 emissions
(Metric tons of CO2 per capita)

27.0062 (2008)

GLOBAL FINANCE RANKINGS AND AWARDS

WORLD'S BEST INTERNET BANKS

2011:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Consumer Internet Banks HSBC (National, 2011)
  • COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Corporate / Institutional Internet Banks HSBC (National, 2011)
2010:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Consumer Internet Banks HSBC (National, 2010)
  • COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Corporate / Institutional Internet Banks HSBC (National, 2010)
2009:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Consumer Internet Banks HSBC (2009)
  • COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Corporate / Institutional Internet Banks HSBC (2009)

WORLD'S BEST ISLAMIC FINANCE INSTITUTIONS

2012:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (National, 2012)
2011:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (National, 2011)
2010:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (National, 2010)
2009:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (National, 2009)

WORLD'S BEST EMERGING MARKET BANKS

2012:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Baiduri Bank Group (National, 2012)
ARTICLES AND COUNTRIES REPORTS FROM GLOBAL FINANCE ARCHIVE