Brunei Consumer Prices Inch Lower

Brunei’s consumer prices dropped 0.7% yoy in December 2025, deepening from a 0.1% fall in the previous month and marking the steepest decline since October 2024. Downward price pressures came from clothing and footwear (-3.6% vs -2.0% in November), housing and utilities (-0.3% vs 0.1%), furnishings and household maintenance (-1.2% vs 0.1%), transport (-0.9% vs 0.1%), recreation and culture (-2.7% vs -1.1%), communication (-0.1% vs -0.2%), and miscellaneous goods and services (-1.2% vs -1.0%). In contrast, costs rose further for food and non-alcoholic beverages (0.5% vs 0.4%), health (0.2% vs 0.1%), education (0.3% vs 0.3%), and restaurants and hotels (0.4% vs 0.2%). On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased 0.3%, steeper than a 0.1% gain in November and the fastest pace in three months.

Brunei’s consumer prices declined 0.1% yoy in November 2025, reversing a 0.1% increase in the previous month and marking the eighth time of drop so far this year. Costs fell further for communication (-0.2% vs -0.2% in October), recreation and culture (-1.1% vs -0.4%), and miscellaneous goods and services (-1.0% vs -1.0%). At the same time, prices of clothing and footwear were 2.0% lower, swinging from a 1.9% increase in October. Meanwhile, price growth slowed for transport (0.1% vs 0.3%) and health (0.1% vs 0.5%). Simultaneously, inflation held steady for food and non-alcoholic beverages (at 0.4%), housing and utilities (at 0.1%), education (at 0.3%), and restaurants and hotels (at 0.2%). Meantime, the cost of furnishings and household maintenance added 0.1%, following a 0.4% drop previously. On a monthly basis, consumer prices edged up 0.1%, shifting from a 0.2% fall in October.

Brunei’s consumer prices rose 0.1% yoy in October 2025, after a 0.03% increase in the previous month and marking the second straight month of gains. It was also the fastest pace since January 2024, driven mainly by a further increase in food and non-alcoholic beverage costs (0.4% vs 0.4% in September), with notable rises in fruits, fish and seafood, and coffee, tea and cocoa. Additional upward pressures came from housing and utilities (0.1% vs 0.1%), transport (0.3% vs 0.7%), clothing and footwear (1.9% vs -1.4%), health (0.5% vs 0.5%), education (0.3% vs 0.3%), and restaurants and hotels (0.2% vs 0.2%). Meanwhile, declines deepened for furnishings and household maintenance (-0.4% vs -0.7%), communication (-0.2% vs -0.3%), and miscellaneous goods and services (-1.1% vs -1.3%). Recreation and culture costs fell 0.4%, reversing the prior 0.1% gain. On a monthly basis, consumer prices slipped 0.2%, reversing a 0.4% rise in September, which had been the largest increase in nine months.