Brunei

The Sultanate of Brunei's influence peaked between the 15th and 17th centuries when its control extended over coastal areas of northwest Borneo and the southern Philippines. Brunei subsequently entered a period of decline brought on by internal strife over royal succession, colonial expansion of European powers, and piracy. In 1888, Brunei became a British protectorate; independence was achieved in 1984. The same family has ruled Brunei for over six centuries. Brunei benefits from extensive petroleum and natural gas fields, the source of one of the highest per capita GDPs in Asia.

Main Airports

Bandar Seri Begawan (BWN)

U.S. Embassy

Third & fifth floors of the Teck Guan Plaza, at the corner of Jalan Sultan and Jalan MacArthur
tel: 673-2229670

Statistics

GDP: purchasing power parity:

$6.842 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

1.7% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity:

23,600 (2003 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

0.9% (2004)

Labor force:

146,300
note: includes foreign workers and military personnel; temporary residents make up about 40% of labor force (2003 est.)

Exports:

$4.514 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - partners:

Japan 36.3%, Indonesia 19.1%, South Korea 12.5%, US 9.4%, Australia 9.2% (2005)

Imports:

$1.641 billion c.i.f. (2004 est.)

Imports - partners:

Singapore 33.1%, Malaysia 24.2%, Japan 7%, UK 5.3%, Thailand 4.6%, South Korea 4.1% (2005)

Population:

379,444 (July 2006 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.87% (2006 est.)

Population Below Poverty Line:

NA

Major Industries:

petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas, construction

Employing Workers: *

Registering Property: *

Enforcing Contracts: *

Closing a Business: *

*2006 World Bank rank out of 175 countries

Starting a Business

The table below shows the number of steps and the amount of time needed to start a business, on average

Indicator

Brunei

Region

• Agriculture
• Apparel
• Arts & Crafts
• Automobile
• Bags, Cases & Boxes
• Chemicals
• Computer Hardware & Software
• Construction & Real Estate
• Consumer Electronics
• Electrical & Electronics
• Energy & Environment
• Food & Beverage
• Furniture & Furnishing
• Health & Medicine
• Home Supplies
• Industrial Supplies
• Lights & Lighting
• Machinery
• Mineral & Materials
• Office Supplies
• Security & Protection
• Service
• Sports & Entertainment
• Telecommunications
• Textile
• Toys
• Transportation