Brunei
Name
| Official name | Brunei Darussalam — Negara Brunei Darussalam, the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace |
|---|---|
| In Jawi | نڬارا بروني دارالسلام |
| Demonym | Bruneian |
| Meaning of the name | Uncertain — perhaps the Sanskrit bhumi, "land"; by legend the founder's cry "Baru nah!," "there!"; Darussalam is Arabic for "abode of peace" |
| Borneo | The island took its name from Brunei, through the Portuguese |
Quick facts
| Capital | Bandar Seri Begawan — about 100,000 in the city, some 280,000 in the district; renamed in 1970 for Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III |
|---|---|
| Official language | Malay (Bahasa Melayu); English widely used in business, law and schooling; Chinese dialects; Jawi and Rumi scripts |
| Currency | Brunei dollar — ISO code BND, B$; 1 dollar = 100 sen; at par with the Singapore dollar under the Currency Interchangeability Agreement of 1967; issued by the Brunei Darussalam Central Bank |
| Time zone | Brunei Darussalam Time, UTC+8, all year |
| Calling code | +673 |
| Internet domain | .bn |
| ISO 3166 codes | BN · BRN · 096 |
| Vehicle registration code | BRU |
| Driving side | Left |
| Electricity | 240 V, 50 Hz; plug type G |
| Independence | 1 January 1984, from British protection — proclaimed at midnight in the capital |
| National days | 23 February, National Day; 15 July, the Sultan's birthday; 31 May, Royal Brunei Armed Forces Day |
| Constitution | 29 September 1959 — the first written constitution; amended 1984, 2004 |
| State religion | Islam — Sunni, of the Shafi'i school; the philosophy of state Melayu Islam Beraja, Malay Islamic Monarchy |
| Population | 429,999 at the census of 2021; about 455,000 by the Department of Economic Planning's estimate and about 492,000 by the CIA World Factbook — the range in the count of foreign workers |
| Area | 5,765 km² (2,226 sq mi) — in two parts divided by Sarawak; a little larger than Delaware |
Flag & national symbols
| National flag | The Sultan's yellow crossed by white and black diagonals for the two chief ministers who signed the treaty of 1906, with the red national crest — crescent, parasol, wings, hands and the name of the state — placed at the center with the Constitution of 29 September 1959; unchanged through independence in 1984.Flag of Brunei |
|---|---|
| National emblem | The crescent of Islam with the motto, the royal parasol, wings of four feathers, two upraised hands and the banner reading Brunei Darussalam — adopted 1959, in red on the flag |
| National anthem | "Allah Peliharakan Sultan" ("God Bless the Sultan") — words by Pengiran Haji Mohamed Yusuf, music by Awang Haji Besar bin Sagap; adopted 1951 |
| National motto | "Always render service with God's guidance" — al-dāʾimūn al-muḥsinūn bi-l-hudā, on the crest |
| National colors | Yellow, white, black and red |
| National flower | The simpur (Dillenia suffruticosa) — the yellow flower on the one-dollar note; designated |
| National philosophy | Melayu Islam Beraja — Malay Islamic Monarchy, proclaimed at independence |
| National dish | Ambuyat — sago starch eaten with the chopstick-like candas and a sour dip; widely cited |
| Symbol status | The flag, emblem and anthem are fixed by the Constitution and the Emblems and Names Act; the flower is designated; the dish is widely cited; no animal or bird is designated |
Geography
| Location | The north coast of Borneo, on the South China Sea — the only country entirely on the island, in two parts surrounded by Malaysian Sarawak |
|---|---|
| Coastline | 161 km (100 mi) |
| Land borders | 266 km (165 mi), with Malaysia only |
| The two parts | The main territory of Brunei-Muara, Tutong and Belait in the west; the Temburong district in the east, an exclave reached by the Temburong Bridge since 2020 |
| Highest point | Bukit Pagon, 1,850 m (6,070 ft), on the Sarawak border in Temburong |
| Lowest point | The South China Sea, 0 m |
| Mean elevation | About 480 m (1,570 ft) |
| Rivers | The Belait, about 32 km — the longest; the Brunei River through the capital; the Tutong; the Temburong |
| Largest lake | Tasek Merimbun, about 78 km² (30 sq mi) of lake and swamp forest — a heritage park |
| Terrain | A flat coastal plain rising to hills in the east; peat swamps and mangroves along the coast |
| Forests | About 72% of the land — the Ulu Temburong National Park, some 500 km², among the least disturbed rainforest in Borneo |
| Climate | Equatorial — hot and humid, about 2,500–3,500 mm of rain a year, with no dry season |
| Natural hazards | Floods; haze from fires in neighboring Indonesia; the country lies outside the typhoon belt |
| Natural resources | Petroleum and natural gas, timber |
| Land use | Agricultural land under 3%; forest about 72% |
| The sea | A 200-nautical-mile claim in the South China Sea, overlapping the claims of China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam |
| UNESCO World Heritage | None — Brunei has no inscribed site |
| Administrative divisions | 4 districts — Brunei-Muara, Belait, Tutong and Temburong — in 39 mukims |
People
| Population | 429,999 (census of 2021); about 455,000–492,000 (estimates) |
|---|---|
| Population density | About 80 per km² (200 per sq mi) — three-quarters in Brunei-Muara |
| Population growth | About 1% a year |
| Median age | About 32 years |
| Life expectancy | About 75 years |
| Fertility rate | About 1.7 births per woman |
| Urban population | About 79% |
| Adult literacy | About 97% |
| Ethnic groups | Malay about 67%, Chinese about 10%, other indigenous peoples about 3% — Iban, Dusun, Murut, Belait — and about 20% foreign residents |
| Languages | Malay official; Brunei Malay the spoken tongue; English; Hokkien and other Chinese dialects; Iban, Tutong and other indigenous languages |
| Religion | Muslim about 82%, Christian about 7%, Buddhist about 7%, others (2021 census) |
| Largest towns | Bandar Seri Begawan, Kuala Belait, Seria, Tutong, Bangar |
| Human Development Index | 0.837 (2023 data, 2025 report) — very high |
| Citizenship | Malay by law — the Malay, Kedayan, Tutong, Belait, Bisaya, Dusun and Murut peoples; many ethnic Chinese remain stateless residents |
Government
| Form of government | Absolute monarchy under the Constitution of 1959 — the Sultan head of state and head of government; a state of emergency in force since the revolt of 1962 |
|---|---|
| Sultan | Hassanal Bolkiah, the 29th Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei — on the throne since 5 October 1967, crowned 1 August 1968; the longest-reigning living monarch in the world since 2022 |
| The Sultan's offices | Prime Minister; Minister of Defense; Minister of Finance and Economy; Minister of Foreign Affairs; Supreme Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces |
| Crown Prince | Al-Muhtadee Billah, born 1974 — Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office |
| Legislature | The Legislative Council — appointed by the Sultan, revived in 2004 after twenty years; about 36 members |
| Legal system | English common law alongside Sharia — the Sharia Penal Code Order of 2013 in force from 2014 and 2019, with a moratorium on the death penalty announced in 2019 |
| Districts | 4, each under a district officer |
| Britain | A British Army Gurkha battalion has been stationed in Brunei since 1962 under agreements with the United Kingdom |
| United Nations | Member since 21 September 1984 |
| Regional memberships | ASEAN, joined 7 January 1984 — the week after independence; APEC; the Commonwealth; the OIC; the Non-Aligned Movement |
Economy
| GDP (nominal) | About US$16 billion (2025, IMF) |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita | About US$34,000 (2025) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | About US$80,000 (2025) — among the highest in the world |
| GDP growth | About 3–4% (2024–25), with the Hengyi refinery |
| Economy by sector | Industry about 55% — oil and gas above all; services about 40%; agriculture about 1% |
| Currency | Brunei dollar (BND), at par with the Singapore dollar |
| Oil and gas | Found at Seria in 1929 — about half of GDP, about 90% of exports and government revenue; Brunei Shell Petroleum the producer; LNG to Japan and Korea since 1972 |
| Refining | The Hengyi refinery and petrochemical complex on Pulau Muara Besar, opened 2019, now the largest export earner after crude and gas |
| Taxes | No personal income tax, no sales tax; free schooling and health care, subsidized housing |
| Trade partners | Singapore, China, Japan, Australia and Malaysia |
| The sovereign fund | The Brunei Investment Agency, investing the oil revenues since 1983 |
| Income classification | High income (World Bank) |
Transport & infrastructure
| Main airport | Brunei International Airport, at Berakas outside the capital |
|---|---|
| Airline | Royal Brunei Airlines, the national carrier, since 1974 |
| Main port | Muara, the deep-water port; Kuala Belait for the oil industry |
| The Temburong Bridge | Opened 17 March 2020 — 30 km (19 mi) across Brunei Bay and the mangroves, the longest bridge in Southeast Asia, joining the exclave to the capital |
| Roads | About 3,000 km (1,900 mi); one car for every two people |
| Railways | None |
| Water taxis | The speedboats of Kampong Ayer, the water village of some 30,000 on stilts in the Brunei River |
History in dates
| c. 1368 | The Sultanate of Brunei founded — Awang Alak Betatar becomes Sultan Muhammad Shah, by tradition |
|---|---|
| 1521 | Magellan's expedition calls at Brunei; Pigafetta describes the court |
| 16th century | The empire's height under Sultan Bolkiah — the coasts of Borneo and the southern Philippines |
| 1841 | James Brooke made Rajah of Sarawak — the beginning of the sultanate's shrinking |
| 1888 | A British protectorate, 17 September |
| 1906 | The British Resident installed; the flag takes its stripes |
| 1929 | Oil struck at Seria, 5 April |
| 1941–1945 | Japanese occupation |
| 1959 | The Constitution, 29 September — internal self-government |
| 1962 | The Brunei revolt, 8 December — put down within days; the emergency since |
| 1963 | Brunei declines to join Malaysia |
| 1967 | Hassanal Bolkiah becomes Sultan on his father's abdication, 5 October |
| 1984 | Independence, 1 January; ASEAN, 7 January; the United Nations, 21 September |
| 2004 | The Legislative Council revived |
| 2014 | The Sharia Penal Code begins to take effect |
| 2017 | The golden jubilee of the reign, 5 October |
| 2020 | The Temburong Bridge opens, 17 March |
Records & firsts
| The longest-reigning living monarch | Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, since 5 October 1967 |
|---|---|
| The largest residential palace | Istana Nurul Iman — some 1,788 rooms and 200,000 m², completed 1984 |
| The longest bridge in Southeast Asia | The Temburong Bridge, 30 km |
| The largest water village | Kampong Ayer — the "Venice of the East," on stilts since the 16th century |
| A country without income tax | Oil pays |
| The only country entirely on Borneo | Malaysia and Indonesia share the rest |
| Among the richest per head | A PPP income around US$80,000 |
| A dynasty of six centuries | The same family since about 1368 |
| The island's namesake | Borneo is Brunei, mispronounced |
| The Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque | Completed 1958, its gold dome above the water village |
Frequently asked questions
What is the official name of Brunei?
Brunei Darussalam — in Malay, Negara Brunei Darussalam, "the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace." The origin of "Brunei" is uncertain; the Sanskrit bhumi, "land," is the usual guess, and legend says the founder cried "Baru nah!" — "there!" — on choosing the site. The country gave Borneo its name.
What is the capital of Brunei?
Bandar Seri Begawan, on the Brunei River near Brunei Bay — the largest town, with about 100,000 people in the city and some 280,000 in the district around it. It was Brunei Town until 1970, when it was renamed for the late Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III. Beside it, on stilts in the river, stands Kampong Ayer, the water village where the sultanate began.
How big is Brunei, and how many people live there?
About 5,765 km² (2,226 sq mi) — a little larger than Delaware — on the north coast of Borneo, in two pieces separated by Malaysian Sarawak. The census of 2021 counted 429,999 people; the CIA World Factbook estimates about 492,000 and Brunei's own statisticians about 455,000, the range reflecting the counting of foreign workers. About three-quarters live in the Brunei-Muara district around the capital.
What are the highest and lowest points of Brunei?
Bukit Pagon, 1,850 m (6,070 ft), on the Sarawak border in the eastern exclave of Temburong, is the highest point; the South China Sea is the lowest. About 72 percent of the country is still forest — the Ulu Temburong National Park in the east is among the least touched rainforest in Borneo.
What currency does Brunei use?
The Brunei dollar (ISO code BND, B$), interchangeable at par with the Singapore dollar under an agreement of 1967 — Singapore's notes and coins are accepted in Brunei and Brunei's in Singapore. Clocks keep Brunei Darussalam Time, UTC+8.
Who governs Brunei?
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the 29th Sultan of Brunei, on the throne since 5 October 1967 and crowned on 1 August 1968 — since the death of Elizabeth II in 2022 the longest-reigning living monarch in the world. He is head of state and prime minister, and holds the defense, finance and foreign affairs portfolios; his son, Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah, is Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office. Brunei is an absolute monarchy under the Constitution of 1959, guided by the philosophy of Melayu Islam Beraja — Malay Islamic Monarchy.
World knowledge, A to Z — the flags of every country, the sciences, places, people and more.
We Value Your Opinion Comments