Brunei Consumer Prices Drop for 4th Month

Brunei’s consumer prices fell 0.3% year-on-year in February 2026, following a 0.2% decline in the previous month and marking a fourth consecutive month of deflation. Price drops persisted across several categories, including housing and utilities (-0.3% vs -0.3% in January), furnishings and household maintenance (-0.2% vs -0.2%), communication (-3.5% vs -3.4%), recreation and culture (-2.9% vs -2.0%), and miscellaneous goods and services (-0.3% vs -0.3%). Clothing and footwear also declined by 1.2%, reversing a 0.9% increase previously, while transport costs were largely flat (0.01% vs 0.1%). In contrast, inflation picked up in food and non-alcoholic beverages (0.7% vs 0.2%), health (0.2% vs 0.01%), education (0.3% vs 0.2%), and restaurants and hotels (0.5% vs 0.4%). On a monthly basis, CPI rose 0.2%, rebounding from a 0.7% drop in January.

Brunei’s consumer prices were down 0.2% yoy in January 2026, easing from a 0.7% decline in the previous month but marking a third straight month of deflation. Price drops moderated for furnishings and household maintenance (-0.2% vs -1.2% in December), recreation and culture (-2.0% vs -2.7%), and miscellaneous goods and services (-0.3% vs -1.2%). At the same time, costs remained subdued for housing and utilities (-0.3% vs -0.3%) and communication (-3.4% vs -0.1%). Inflation slowed for food and non-alcoholic beverages (0.2% vs 0.5%) and education (0.2% vs 0.3%), while health prices were nearly flat (0.01% vs 0.2%). Meantime, inflation held steady for restaurants and hotels (at 0.4%), with prices rebounding for clothing and footwear (0.9% vs -3.6%) and transport (0.1% vs -0.9%). On a monthly basis, CPI dropped 0.7%, reversing December’s 0.3% rise and marking the first fall in three months.

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.