Country Facts - Brunei

The People

Nationality

Bruneian(s)

Ethnic Composition

Malay	67%
Chinese	15%
Other	12%
Indienous	6%

Religious Composition

Muslim (official)	67%
Buddhist	13%
Christian	10%
Indigenous beliefs and nonaffiliated	10%

Languages Spoken

Malay (official), English, Chinese

Education and Literacy

Education all the way through university training is free even when studying abroad. The adult literacy rate for adults is 88.2 percent; male 92.6 percent; female 83.4 percent.

Labor Force

Total: 143,400 (1999 est.); note - includes foreign workers and military personnel
By occupation:

Government	48%
Production of oil, natural gas, services, and construction	42%
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing	10%

(1999)
Note: temporary residents make up 41% of labor force (1991)))

Geography

Land Mass Total

2,227 sq mi (5,770 sq km)

Land

2,034 sq mi (5,270 sq km)

Water

193sq mi (500 sq km)

Land Boundaries

Total: 236 mi (381 km)

Border countries: Malaysia 236 mi (381 km)

Coastline

100 mi (161 km)

Maritime claim

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or to median line
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate/Weather

Tropical; hot, humid, rainy.

Terrain

Flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland in west.

Elevation extremes

Lowest: South China Sea 0 ft (0 m)
Highest: Bukit Pagon 6,069 ft (1,850 m)

Natural Resources

Petroleum, natural gas, timber.

Land use

Arable land	1%
Permanent crops	1%
Other	98%

(1998)

Natural hazards

Typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding occur but are very rare.

Environment - current issues

Seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia.

Geography Note

Close to vital sea lanes through South China Sea linking Indian and Pacific Oceans; two parts physically separated by Malaysia; almost an enclave of Malaysia.

Demographics

Population

350,898 (July 2002

)

Age structure

0-14 years:	30.2%	Male: 54,038	Female: 51,833
15-64 years:	67%	Male: 125,051	Female: 110,257
65 years and over:	2.8%	Male: 4,609	Female: 5,110

Growth Rate

2.06% (2002)

Life Expectancy

74.06 years (2002)
female: 76.56 years
male: 71.68 years

GDP Per Capita

Purchasing power parity
US$18,000 (2001)

Infant Mortality

13.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)

Sex ratio

At birth:	1.06 male(s)/female
Under 15 years:	1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:	1.13 male(s)/female
65 years and over:	0.9 male(s)/female
Total population:	1.1 male(s)/female

(2002)

Net migration rate

3.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)

Economy & Trade

This small, wealthy economy is a mixture of foreign and domestic entrepreneurship, government regulation, welfare measures, and village tradition. Crude oil and natural gas production account for nearly half of GDP. Per capita GDP is far above the regional standard, and substantial income from overseas investment supplements income from domestic production. The government provides for all medical services and subsidizes rice and housing. Brunei must import all of its major manufactured products and close to 80 percent of its food. Brunei's leaders are concerned that steadily increased integration in the world economy will undermine internal social cohesion although it became a more prominent player by serving as chairman for the 2000 APEC (Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation) forum. 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. The nation's currency is tied directly to the Singapore dollar and each country accepts the others for internal transactions. The government presses for GDP growth rates in the neighborhood of 5 percent, but performance from 2001-2003 has been in the 2.5-3 percent range.

Unemployment

10% (2001)

Inflation Rate

1% (1999)

Industries

Petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas, construction.

Exports

US$3 billion (f.o.b., 2000)

Imports

US$1.4 billion (c.i.f., 2000)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$6.2 billion (2001)

Top Export Partners

Japan 42%, US 17%, South Korea 14%, Thailand 3% (1999)

Top Import Partners

Singapore 34%, UK 15%, Malaysia 15%, US 5% (1999)

Top Exports

Crude oil, liquefied natural gas, petroleum products.

Top Imports

Machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, chemicals.

Debt - external

Economic aid

US$4.3 million (1995)

Fiscal Year:

Calendar year

Business Workweek

	Monday - Friday	Saturday - Sunday
Offices	8a.m. to 5p.m.	Saturday 8a.m. to noon.
Retail	10a.m. to 10p.m.	10a.m. to 10p.m.
Banks	9a.m. to 3p.m.	Saturday 9a.m. to 11a.m.
Government	Monday to Thursday 7:45a.m. to 12:15p.m. and 1:30p.m. to 4:30p.m. Friday Closed Shorter hours during Ramadan.	Saturday: 7:45a.m. to 12:15p.m. and 1:30p.m. to 4:30p.m.

Note: Shops and government offices outside of the capital will have hours based more upon local need and custom....

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Chinese New Year¹	February 1	January 22	February 9
National Day	February 23	February 23	February 23
Festival of Sacrifice (Hari Raya Haji, Id al Adha)²	February 12	February 2	January 21
Islamic New Year³	March 5	February 22	February 10
Birthday of Prophet Mohammad (Hari Mouloud, Mawlid an Nabi)*¹	May 14	May 2	April 21
Anniversery of the Royal Brunei Regiment	May 31	May 31	May 31
Sultan's Birthday	July 15	July 15	July 15
Start of Ramadan*²	October 27	October 15	October 4
Ascension of the Prophet (Isra Meraj, Lailat al Miraj)*³	September 24	September 12	September 1
End of Ramadan (Hari Raya Puasa, Eid Al Fitr)**¹	November 26	November 14	November 3
Christmas Day**²	December 25	December 25	December 25
Bank's Yearly Closing	December 31	December 31	December 31

¹	Celebrations denoting the beginning of the New Year based on the exact astronomical observations of the longitude of the sun and phases of the moon according the the Chinese calendar. Holidays can last up to five days.
²	Culmination of the Haj or Holy Pilgrimage.
³	The lunar Islamic Hijara calendar is made up of 12 months, each month alternating between 29 and 30 days per month, culminating in a total of 354 days per year. The Hijra calendar is based on the cycles of the moon and annually moves 11 days backward through the seasons.
*¹	The Birthday of the Prophet Mohammad is celebrated on the twelfth day in the month of Rabi'l of the Islamic calendar.
*²	Ramadan (the month of fasting) begins with the first appearance of the new moon in the ninth month of the lunar Islamic Hijra calendar, and lasts 30 days. Dates for the start of Ramadan will vary from country to country, depending on the first appearance of the moon.
*³	The Ascent of the Prophet Mohammad is celebrated on the twenty-seventh day in the month of Rajab of the Islamic calendar.
**¹	Feasting that officially marks the end of Ramadan, and commonly lasts for 3 days.
**²	Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In A.D.320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox church calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and celebrates 13 days later on January 7.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press