Indonesia's Trade Balance Maintains US$7.25 Billion Surplus through August 2026
The Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) has recorded a trade surplus of US$7.25 billion for the period of January to August 2026. This surplus was supported by the trade performance in August 2026, which recorded a surplus of US$3.55 billion.
Ateng Hartono, Deputy for Distribution and Services Statistics at BPS, stated that the cumulative trade surplus primarily originated from the non-oil and gas sector, while the oil and gas trade continued to record a deficit.
“The surplus throughout the January-August 2026 period was supported by the performance of non-oil and gas commodity trade, which recorded a surplus of US$28.54 billion, while oil and gas commodity trade still experienced a deficit of US$21.29 billion,” Ateng explained in a BPS data release on Thursday (1/10/2026).
On the export side, Indonesia’s export value from January to August 2026 reached US$193.64 billion, representing a 4.74% increase compared to the same period the previous year. Export performance was mainly driven by non-oil and gas exports, which grew by 5.48% to US$185.63 billion.
By sector, the manufacturing industry remains the largest contributor to exports, with an export value of US$159.55 billion, a 7.87% growth compared to the same period in 2025. The three main export destinations for Indonesia’s non-oil and gas products during this period were China at US$47.44 billion (25.55%), the United States at US$22.41 billion (12.07%), and India at US$12.77 billion (6.88%).
Imports surged by 19.84%
Conversely, Indonesia’s imports grew significantly higher than its exports. The cumulative import value for January-August 2026 was recorded at US$186.39 billion, an increase of 19.84% compared to the same period last year. This rise in imports occurred across all major groups. Non-oil imports rose by 16.83% to US$157.09 billion, while oil and gas imports jumped by 39.03% to US$29.30 billion.
In terms of usage, the import of raw materials/auxiliary materials was the largest component, valued at US$133.38 billion, up 20.67% year-on-year. Furthermore, capital goods imports reached US$36.75 billion, growing by 18.82%, while consumer goods imports were recorded at US$16.27 billion, an increase of 15.48%.
China remains the primary source of Indonesia’s non-oil imports. From January to August 2026, non-oil imports from China reached US$66.64 billion, accounting for 42.42% of total non-oil imports. Japan followed with US$8.88 billion (5.65%), and Australia with US$7.31 billion (4.65%).
BPS noted that Indonesia’s non-oil trade surplus during this period was primarily driven by several key commodities. Animal and vegetable fats and oils were the largest contributors to the surplus at US$24.91 billion, followed by mineral fuels at US$18.84 billion, iron and steel at US$12.10 billion, nickel and its derivatives at US$8.38 billion, and footwear at US$4.33 billion.
Consequently, although Indonesia’s trade balance remains in surplus, the import growth rate of 19.84%, which is significantly higher than the export growth rate of 4.74%, is a development that requires close attention.