International Merchandise Trade Index Reveals Significant Decline in Q1 2025

Bandar seri begawan: Total exports value in the first quarter of 2025 decreased by 15.3 percent.

According to Radio Television Brunei, a media release by the Department of Economic Planning and Statistics, Ministry of Finance and Economy on the International Merchandise Trade Index (IMTI), this was driven by declining exports volume index and exports unit value index.

The drop in exports volume index was contributed by Mineral Fuels, particularly petroleum, petroleum products, and related materials, as well as chemicals and Machinery and Transport Equipment. Meanwhile, the declining exports unit value index was primarily driven by lower prices in Mineral Fuels, Chemicals, and Machinery and Transport Equipment.

The total imports value in the first quarter of 2025 also decreased by 16.8 percent compared to the same period last year. This decline was contributed to by a reduction in both the imports volume index and the unit value index. The imports unit value index fell mainly attributed to lower prices of Manufactured Goods, Chemicals, and Mineral Fuels.

The full report of IMTI for the first quarter of 2025 is available at ‘deps.mofe.gov.bn’.