Brunei

• the vast majority of the population is found along the coast in the western part of Brunei, which is separated from the eastern portion by Malaysia;
• the largest population concentration is in the far north on the western side of the Brunei Bay, in and around the capital of Bandar Seri Begawan

• close to vital sea lanes through South China Sea linking Indian and Pacific Oceans;
• two parts physically separated by Malaysia;
• the eastern part, the Temburong district, is an exclave and is almost an enclave within Malaysia

noun:

Bruneian(s)

adjective:

Bruneian

total:

32.3 years (2024 est.)

male:

31.4 years

female:

33.1 years

• the vast majority of the population is found along the coast in the western part of Brunei, which is separated from the eastern portion by Malaysia;
• the largest population concentration is in the far north on the western side of the Brunei Bay, in and around the capital of Bandar Seri Begawan

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.91 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.94 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

10 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

12.2 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

7.7 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

78.9 years (2024 est.)

male:

76.5 years

female:

81.3 years

improved:

urban: NA

rural:

NA

total:

NA

unimproved:

urban: NA

rural:

NA

total:

NA

total:

0.69 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

0.66 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

16.2% (2020 est.)

male:

30% (2020 est.)

female:

2.3% (2020 est.)

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

urban population:

79.1% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

1.44% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

6.86 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

7.66 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

8.4 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal:

150 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

10 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

conventional long form:

Brunei Darussalam

conventional short form:

Brunei

local long form:

Negara Brunei Darussalam

local short form:

Brunei

etymology:

derivation of the name is unclear; according to legend, MUHAMMAD SHAH, who would become the first sultan of Brunei, upon discovering what would become Brunei exclaimed "Baru nah," which roughly translates as "there" or "that's it"

name:

Bandar Seri Begawan

geographic coordinates:

4 53 N, 114 56 E

time difference:

UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

• named in 1970 after Sultan Omar Ali SAIFUDDIEN III (1914-1986; "The Father of Independence") who adopted the title of "Seri Begawan" (approximate meaning "honored lord") upon his abdication in 1967;
• "bandar" in Malay means "town" or "city";
• the capital had previously been called Bandar Brunei (Brunei Town)

• National Day, 23 February (1984);
• note - 1 January 1984 was the date of independence from the UK, 23 February 1984 was the date of independence from British protection;
• the Sultan's birthday, 15 June

• mixed legal system based on English common law and Islamic law;
• note - in April 2019, the full sharia penal codes came into force and apply to Muslims and partly to non-Muslims in parallel with present common law codes

history:

• drafted 1954 to 1959, signed 29 September 1959;
• note - some constitutional provisions suspended since 1962 under a State of Emergency, others suspended since independence in 1984

amendments:

• proposed by the monarch;
• passage requires submission to the Privy Council for Legislative Council review and finalization takes place by proclamation;
• the monarch can accept or reject changes to the original proposal provided by the Legislative Council;
• amended several times, last in 2010

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

the father must be a citizen of Brunei

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

12 years

chief of state:

Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967)

head of government:

Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967)

cabinet:

• Council of Ministers appointed and presided over by the monarch;
• note - 4 additional advisory councils appointed by the monarch are the Religious Council, Privy Council for constitutional issues, Council of Succession, and Legislative Council;
• Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah is also Minister of Finance, Defense, and Foreign Affairs and Trade

elections/appointments:

none; the monarchy is hereditary; note - the monarch is both chief of state and head of government

highest court(s):

• Supreme Court (consists of the Court of Appeal and the High Court, each with a chief justice and 2 judges);
• Sharia Court (consists the Court of Appeals and the High Court);
• note - Brunei has a dual judicial system of secular and sharia (religious) courts;
• the Judicial Committee of Privy Council (in London) serves as the final appellate court for civil cases only

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court judges appointed by the monarch to serve until age 65, and older if approved by the monarch;
• Sharia Court judges appointed by the monarch for life

subordinate courts:

• Intermediate Court;
• Magistrates' Courts;
• Juvenile Court;
• small claims courts;
• lower sharia courts

chief of mission:

Ambassador Dato Paduka Haji SERBINI bin Haji Ali (since 28 January 2016)

chancery:

3520 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 237-1838

FAX:

[1] (202) 885-0560

email address and website:

[email protected]; http://www.bruneiembassy.org/index.html

consulate(s):

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Caryn R. McCLELLAND (since December 2021)

embassy:

Simpang 336-52-16-9, Jalan Duta, Bandar Seri Begawan, BC4115

mailing address:

4020 Bandar Seri Begawan Place, Washington DC 20521-4020

telephone:

(673) 238-7400

FAX:

(673) 238-7533

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://bn.usembassy.gov/

• yellow with two diagonal bands of white (top, almost double width) and black starting from the upper hoist side;
• the national emblem in red is superimposed at the center;
• yellow is the color of royalty and symbolizes the sultanate;
• the white and black bands denote Brunei's chief ministers;
• the emblem includes five main components: a swallow-tailed flag, the royal umbrella representing the monarchy, the wings of four feathers symbolizing justice, tranquility, prosperity, and peace, the two upraised hands signifying the government's pledge to preserve and promote the welfare of the people, and the crescent moon denoting Islam, the state religion;
• the state motto "Always render service with God's guidance" appears in yellow Arabic script on the crescent;
• a ribbon below the crescent reads "Brunei, the Abode of Peace"

name:

"Allah Peliharakan Sultan" (God Bless His Majesty)

lyrics/music:

Pengiran Haji Mohamed YUSUF bin Pengiran Abdul Rahim/Awang Haji BESAR bin Sagap

note: adopted 1951

• almost exclusively an oil and gas economy;
• high income country;
• expansive and robust welfare system;
• the majority of the population works for the government;
• promulgating a nationalized halal brand;
• considering establishment of a bond market and stock exchange

total:

18.6% (2023 est.)

male:

16.2% (2023 est.)

female:

22.3% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

consumption:

1.203 million metric tons (2022 est.)

imports:

1.203 million metric tons (2022 est.)

total petroleum production:

95,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

17,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

1.1 billion barrels (2021 est.)

production:

10.598 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

consumption:

4.374 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

exports:

6.12 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

proven reserves:

260.515 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

general assessment:

• Brunei’s mobile market experienced drop-off in subscriber numbers in 2020;
• in 2022 there was a concerted effort to build out the fixed-line infrastructure while progressing towards introducing 5G mobile services, which was activated in June 2023;
• Brunei’s fixed-line market is one of the few countries in the world to have displayed significant growth rather than a decline in teledensity in the last few years;
• this upward trend is set to continue as the new Unified National Network (UNN) works diligently to expand and enhance the fixed-line infrastructure around the country;
• strong growth was also seen in the fixed broadband space, on the back of those same infrastructure developments that are part of the Brunei Vision 2035 initiative;
• fixed broadband is starting from a relatively low base by international standards and is still only at 18%, leaving lots of room for growth;
• mobile and mobile broadband, on the other hand, are still suffering from the market contractions first felt in 2020;
• Brunei’s 2G GSM network is shut down, with the spectrum to be reallocated to 3G, 4G, and potentially 5G use (2023)

domestic:

25 per 100 fixed-line, 136 per 100 mobile-cellular (2021)

international:

• country code - 673;
• landing points for the SEA-ME-WE-3, SJC, AAG, Lubuan-Brunei Submarine Cable via optical telecommunications submarine cables that provides links to Asia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa, Australia, and the US;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) (2019)

• state-controlled Radio Television Brunei (RTB) operates 5 channels;
• 3 Malaysian TV stations are available;
• foreign TV broadcasts are available via satellite systems;
• RTB operates 5 radio networks and broadcasts on multiple frequencies;
• British Forces Broadcast Service (BFBS) provides radio broadcasts on 2 FM stations;
• some radio broadcast stations from Malaysia are available via repeaters

number of registered air carriers:

1 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 10

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

1,234,455 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

129.35 million (2018) mt-km

total:

2,976 km

paved:

2,559 km

unpaved:

417 km (2014)

total ports:

5 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

0

small:

2

very small:

3

ports with oil terminals:

5

key ports:

Bandar Seri Begawan, Kuala Belait, Lumut, Muara Harbor, Seria Oil Loading Terminal

stateless persons:

• 20,863 (2022);
• note - thousands of stateless persons, often ethnic Chinese, are permanent residents and their families have lived in Brunei for generations;
• obtaining citizenship is difficult and requires individuals to pass rigorous tests on Malay culture, customs, and language;
• stateless residents receive an International Certificate of Identity, which enables them to travel overseas;
• the government is considering changing the law prohibiting non-Bruneians, including stateless permanent residents, from owning land

tier rating:

• Tier 3 — Brunei does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Brunei was downgraded to Tier 3;
• for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/brunei/