Southeast Asia
Brunei
Southeastern Asia, along the northern coast of the island of Borneo, bordering the South China Sea and Malaysia.
Muslim population82.1%of the population
Population458,600people (current)
CapitalBandar Seri BegawanUTC+8
Currency1.34 = $1Bruneian dollars (BND) (2024)
Country basics
Brunei is a sovereign sultanate on the north coast of Borneo, split in two by Malaysian land.
Brunei is an absolute monarchy with Bandar Seri Begawan as its capital and Malay as its official language. The Brunei dollar trades at par with the Singapore dollar, and crude oil and natural gas supply most government revenue.
Official name
Nation of Brunei, the Abode of PeaceRegion
Asia · South-Eastern AsiaGovernment
Unitary Islamic absolute monarchyTime zonesCheck the offset for your own city
UTC+08:00Driving side
LeftPhone code
+673Currency
Brunei dollar (BND, $); Singapore dollar (SGD, $)Member of
Commonwealth; UN; ASEANWebsite
https://www.gov.bnFaith and language
Religions
Muslim (official) 82.1%, Christian 6.7%, Buddhist 6.3%, other 4.9%Languages
MalayPeople and cities
Population
458,600 (current)Median ageHalf the population is younger than this
32.6 years (2025)Living in cities
79.1% (2023)Largest cities
Bandar Seri Begawan (capital) 266,682Money and cost of living
Exchange rateYearly average; check today’s rate before you budget
1.34 Bruneian dollars (BND) per US dollar (2024)Income per personGDP per person, adjusted for local prices (2021 dollars)
$79,200 (2024)InflationHow much prices rose over the year
-0.4% (2024)Unemployment
5.2% (2024)Health and daily life
Life expectancy
78.9 years (2024)Doctors
1.89 per 1,000 people (2021)Hospital beds
3.9 per 1,000 people (2021)Safe drinking water
99.9% of people (2022)Electricity
100% of people (2022)Internet users
99% of people (2023)Land and climate
Climate
Tropical; hot, humid, rainySizeSlightly smaller than Delaware
5,765 sq kmNatural hazards
Typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are rareNational holiday
National Day, 23 February (1984)