Indonesia Trade Trends Sep 2026

According to data from Statistics Indonesia, the country’s exports expanded by 11.8 per cent year-on-year to USD 27.6 billion in September 2025, while imports rose by 18.4 per cent to USD 24.2 billion during the same period.

Southeast Asia’s largest economy recorded a trade surplus of USD 3.4 billion in December. Indonesia’s trade surplus was primarily fueled by non-oil and gas commodities such as vegetable oils, mineral fuels, and nickel products, which climbed to 12.4 per cent. The largest surpluses were recorded with the United States, India, and Malaysia, while trade deficits occurred with China and Australia.

Export growth was mainly driven by the manufacturing sector, including key commodities such as iron and steel, crude palm oil, and agriculture products. However, coal exports saw a decline.

In September, the top trading partner with Indonesia was Thailand, followed by the United States and China.

In its latest outlook, the International Monetary Fund estimated Indonesia’s GDP growth rate at 5.1 per cent for 2026.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a political and economic union of ten member states, comprising 667 million people and covering a territory of 4.5 million km². It is currently the third-largest economy in the Asia-Pacific region and the fifth-largest in the world. The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) has a combined GDP of USD 4.2 trillion, based on 2025 estimates.