Brunei

The Sultanate of Brunei's influence peaked between the 15th and 17th centuries when its control extended over coastal areas of northwest Borneo and the southern Philippines. Brunei subsequently entered a period of decline brought on by internal strife over royal succession, colonial expansion of European powers, and piracy. In 1888, Brunei became a British protectorate; independence was achieved in 1984. The same family has ruled Brunei for over six centuries. Brunei benefits from extensive petroleum and natural gas fields, the source of one of the highest per capita GDPs in Asia.

Economical characteristics

• Currency: Brunei dollar (ISO code: BND)
• Central bank discount rate:
• Commercial banks lending rate: 5.5% (31 December 2008)
• Stock of money (M1): $3.374 billion (30 March 2009)
• Quasi money (with M1 makes M2): $8.151 billion (30 March 2009)

Statistics

Statistic / Year	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
GDP (million USD)	4 600	6 001	5 601	5 843	6 557	7 872	9 531	11 471
Govt. debt (% of GDP)
Govt. revenue (% of GDP)
Govt. expenses (% of GDP)
Debt to revenue (years)

References

Note: statistical data was rounded. Different sources may use different methodologies for their estimates. Debt to revenue is calculated by dividing the two variables from their original ('unrounded') values. It represents how long it would a government take to repay its entire debt if it used its whole revenue for this purpose.

External links

• Brunei on Wikipedia
• Central bank of Brunei
• BBC country profile