Total natural resource rents in Brunei

Brunei: Total natural resource rents was 24.3% in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
24.3%
Change on year
up 76.6%
World rank
19th
of 211 countries
All-time high
69.6%
in 1976
All-time low
3.1%
in 1970
Years of data
51
1970–2021

Total natural resource rents in Brunei, 1970–2021

0204060197019952021

Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

Brunei recorded 24.3% for total natural resource rents in 2021.

The figure is up 76.6% on the previous year and down 18.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in Brunei peaked at 69.6% in 1976 and was at its lowest, 3.1%, in 1970.

Brunei ranks 19th of 211 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.

Total natural resource rents in Brunei, year by year

Annual values for Total natural resource rents in Brunei, 1970 to 2021.
Year % of GDP Change
1970 3.1%
1971 3.3% +6.3%
1972 10.0% +200.0%
1973 24.8% +149.4%
1974 62.6% +152.0%
1975 65.5% +4.6%
1976 69.6% +6.2%
1977 65.4% -6.0%
1978 61.7% -5.6%
1980 59.9% -2.9%
1981 39.3% -34.4%
1982 24.4% -37.8%
1983 33.2% +35.7%
1984 37.9% +14.4%
1985 34.8% -8.3%
1986 34.0% -2.4%
1987 35.1% +3.4%
1988 26.4% -24.7%
1989 33.0% +24.7%
1990 38.9% +18.2%
1991 24.5% -37.0%
1992 26.0% +5.9%
1993 27.5% +5.9%
1994 26.1% -5.4%
1995 24.0% -8.1%
1996 26.9% +12.5%
1997 25.9% -3.9%
1998 18.3% -29.4%
1999 24.4% +33.3%
2000 35.0% +43.5%
2001 28.1% -19.8%
2002 25.6% -8.8%
2003 28.2% +10.1%
2004 30.7% +8.8%
2005 34.9% +13.7%
2006 37.4% +7.3%
2007 33.6% -10.2%
2008 32.0% -4.8%
2009 23.6% -26.3%
2010 26.7% +13.4%
2011 29.6% +10.8%
2012 25.2% -14.9%
2013 21.5% -14.8%
2014 22.1% +2.9%
2015 18.9% -14.5%
2016 15.7% -17.1%
2017 17.2% +9.4%
2018 22.5% +31.2%
2019 20.8% -7.4%
2020 13.8% -34.0%
2021 24.3% +76.5%

Brunei compared with similar countries

  • Brunei's 24.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.1%, 203.6× the median. (82 countries reporting)
  • Brunei's 24.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.7%, 34.6× the median. (36 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Total natural resource rents in Brunei changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1972 +200.0% 3.3% 10.0%
1974 +152.0% 24.8% 62.6%
1973 +149.4% 10.0% 24.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 40.7% 3.1% 69.6% 9
1980s 35.8% 24.4% 59.9% 10
1990s 26.3% 18.3% 38.9% 10
2000s 30.9% 23.6% 37.4% 10
2010s 22.0% 15.7% 29.6% 10
2020s 19.0% 13.8% 24.3% 2

Countries ranked near Brunei

  1. 16 Eritrea 27.0% compare
  2. 17 Kazakhstan 26.8% compare
  3. 18 Saudi Arabia 25.6% compare
  4. 20 Equatorial Guinea 23.5% compare
  5. 21 Algeria 22.6% compare
  6. 22 Liberia 21.9% compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More reference data data for Brunei

All data for Brunei →

Frequently asked questions

What is total natural resource rents in Brunei?
Total natural resource rents in Brunei was 24.3% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest total natural resource rents recorded in Brunei?
The highest recorded value was 69.6% in 1976.
What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in Brunei?
The lowest recorded value was 3.1% in 1970.
How does Brunei rank for total natural resource rents?
Brunei ranks 19th out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in Brunei?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Brunei data come from?
The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Total natural resource rents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Total natural resource rents in Brunei. Statizoid, drawing on The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/natural-resource-rents/brunei-darussalam/

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About this data

Indicator
Total natural resource rents
Unit
% of GDP
Source
The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
211 places, 9,209 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed

Natural resources rents are estimated as the difference between the price of a commodity and the average cost of producing it. Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents, mineral rents, and forest rents.