Measure
Snapshot

Brunei

Ranked 18 of 26 for comprehensive power, with an overall score of 10.0 out of 100.

Gained 0.4 points (+4% change) in overall score in 2023.

Analysis

Brunei is a minor power in Asia.

Its overall score increased by 0.4 points, making Brunei one of just six countries in the region to register an upward change in its overall score. This was largely due to a significant improvement in its diplomatic influence score, which rose three places to 15th.

Brunei’s increased diplomatic influence reflects positive expert opinion on its 2021 ASEAN chairmanship and the country’s greater diplomatic engagement, including on the issue of Myanmar.

Brunei performs best in the resilience measure, where it places 12th. This reflects its internal stability and favourable but declining energy trade balance. Its lowest ranking is in the military capability measure, where it comes in at 21st place.

Brunei exerts less influence in the region than expected given its available resources, as indicated by the country’s negative power gap score. It is a net underachiever in Asia, with its negative power gap remaining the same in 2022.

Read more analysis in the Key Findings report. Explore further results in the Scores section.

Annual changes

+5.5Diplomaticinfluence —Militarycapability —Futureresources —Culturalinfluence —Economicrelationships —Economiccapability −0.6Resilience −2.3Defencenetworks

Bilateral Influence

Bilateral trade, current dollars (2020)

Countries that influence Brunei

Globally, which countries does Brunei do most of its trade with?

Singapore 18.1%

Japan 15.6%

China 14.8%

Malaysia 12.2%

Australia 5.3%

Countries influenced by Brunei

Which countries in the region rely most on trade with Brunei?

Papua New Guinea 0.3%

Malaysia 0.3%

Singapore 0.2%

Japan 0.1%

Philippines 0.1%

View Brunei’s regional influence on the Network Power map

Scores

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