Economy Overview
Brunei has a small well-to-do economy that encompasses a mixture of foreign and domestic entrepreneurship, government regulation, welfare measures, and village tradition. Crude oil and natural gas production account for just over half of GDP and more than 90% of exports. Per capita GDP is among the highest in Asia, and substantial income from overseas investment supplements income from domestic production. The government provides for all medical services and free education through the university level and subsidizes rice and housing. Brunei's leaders are concerned that steadily increased integration in the world economy will undermine internal social cohesion. Plans for the future include upgrading the labor force, reducing unemployment, strengthening the banking and tourist sectors, and, in general, further widening the economic base beyond oil and gas.
Agriculture Products
rice, vegetables, fruits; chickens, water buffalo, cattle, goats, eggs
Industries
petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas, construction
Industrial Production Growth Rate
1.8% (2005 est.)
Labor Force
180,400 (2006 est.)
Electricity production
3.1 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity Consumption
2.924 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity Exports
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity Imports
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Unemployment Rate
4% (2006)
Population Below Poverty Line
Household Income or Consumption by Percentage Share
Lowest 10%: NA%
Highest 10%: NA%
Budget
Revenues: $3.765 billion
Expenditures: $4.815 billion (2004 est.)
Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
Stock of Domestic Credit
$2.38 billion (31 December 2007)
Market Value of Publicly Traded Shares
$NA
Reserves of Foreign Exchange and Gold
Stock of Direct Foreign Investment at Home
Stock of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad
Exchange Rates
Bruneian dollars (BND) per US dollar - NA (2007), 1.5886 (2006), 1.6644 (2005), 1.6902 (2004), 1.7422 (2003)
