Indonesia's Trade Surplus Reaches 71 Consecutive Months, Supported by Non-Oil and Gas Exports
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reports that Indonesia’s cumulative trade balance surplus for January-March 2026 reached US$5.55 billion, extending the surplus trend to 71 consecutive months since May 2020.
BPS Deputy for Distribution and Services Statistics, Ateng Hartono, stated that the surplus was mainly supported by the solid performance of non-oil and gas commodity exports, although the oil and gas sector continued to face pressure.
“Up to March 2026, Indonesia’s trade balance recorded a surplus of US$5.55 billion. This surplus was supported by non-oil and gas commodities amounting to US$10.63 billion, while oil and gas commodities still experienced a deficit of US$5.08 billion,” said Ateng in a BPS release at the BPS Central Office on Monday (4/5/2026).
Ateng explained that this performance was primarily driven by the processing industry sector, which recorded export growth of 3.96% to US$54.98 billion.
BPS noted that the three main destinations for Indonesia’s non-oil and gas exports were still dominated by China, the United States, and India, with a combined contribution of 44.48% of total non-oil and gas exports.
China was the largest market with a value of US$16.50 billion or 25.94%, followed by the United States at US$7.29 billion or 11.46%, and India at US$4.50 billion equivalent to 7.08%.
Leading export commodities to China included iron and steel, nickel, and mineral fuels. Meanwhile, exports to the United States were dominated by machinery and electrical equipment, footwear, and knitted apparel.
On the other hand, Indonesia’s imports showed higher growth. The cumulative import value up to March 2026 reached US$61.30 billion, up 10.05% year-on-year.
Non-oil and gas imports were the main contributor at US$52.97 billion or an increase of 12.16%, while oil and gas imports fell 1.72% to US$8.33 billion.
However, the highest surge occurred in capital goods imports, which rose 24.02% to US$12.98 billion, indicating increased investment activity. Consumer goods imports were recorded at US$5.15 billion or grew 6.12%.
In terms of origin countries, China remained the primary supplier of Indonesia’s non-oil and gas imports with a value of US$22.02 billion, followed by Australia at US$3.14 billion, and Japan at US$2.90 billion. These three countries contributed more than half of the total non-oil and gas imports.
Meanwhile, the non-oil and gas surplus for January-March 2026 was still supported by major commodities such as animal and vegetable fats and oils at US$8.68 billion, mineral fuels at US$6.22 billion, iron and steel at US$4.29 billion, nickel and its derivatives at US$3.24 billion, and footwear at US$1.49 billion.