
Ease of doing business
theboardiQ Tariffs Dashboard:
Powering Mutually Beneficial Global Trade.
Understand the complexities of international tariffs and ease of doing business across nations to cultivate balanced trade relationships, streamline operations, and deliver cost savings to end consumers.

Implications
As of late January 2026, the trade relationship between the United States and Brunei is defined by the implementation of broad reciprocal tariffs and a specific geopolitical focus on regional supply chains. Brunei, while a small trading partner for the U.S. in absolute volume, faces significant pressure on its petrochemical and industrial exports.
1. Latest US Tariffs Update (2025–2026)
Following a series of Executive Orders in early 2025, the U.S. moved toward a "reciprocal" tariff model.
Current Rate: As of January 2026, most goods from Brunei are subject to a 24% to 25% additional duty. This was a jump from the standard MFN (Most-Favored-Nation) rates, triggered by the U.S. administration's assessment of Brunei's own domestic import taxes and non-tariff barriers.
Greenland Dispute Context: While a new 10% "Greenland-related" tariff was announced in January 2026 for several European nations (Denmark, Norway, etc.), Brunei is not currently on that specific list. However, it remains under the high-tier reciprocal regime.
Exemptions: Certain high-tech electronic components were granted retroactive exemptions in late 2025 to prevent supply chain breakage, but petrochemicals—Brunei's main export—remain fully taxed.
2. Major Companies Impacted
The impact is concentrated in the downstream energy and logistics sectors:
Hengyi Industries (Brunei): The largest hit. Their exports of organic chemicals (paraxylene and benzene) to the U.S. now face the full 25% duty, significantly squeezing margins.
Brunei Methanol Company (BMC): Competitiveness has dropped against Middle Eastern producers who may face lower tiered rates or U.S. domestic producers.
Royal Brunei Airlines (Engineering Division): Impacted by new HTS 9802.00 rules where duties are assessed on the full value of aircraft parts sent for repair, rather than just the value-added service.
U.S. Tech Firms (e.g., Microsoft/Google): Impacted indirectly through higher costs for regional data center infrastructure and specialized hardware entering via Brunei.
3. GDP & Balance of Trade (BOT) YTD
Brunei's economy is highly sensitive to these shifts due to its reliance on the oil and gas sector ($48\%$ of GDP).
Metric | Latest Data / 2026 Projection |
GDP Impact | Projected -0.8% to -1.2% drag due to tariff-induced slowdown in petrochemical exports. |
2026 GDP Growth | Forecasted at a modest 2.0% (down from earlier highs). |
Latest BOT (with US) | $24.2M Surplus (October 2025 data). Total exports to U.S. ~$33.3M; Imports ~$9.1M. |
YTD Trend | Brunei maintains a surplus, but volume has decreased as U.S. buyers shift to lower-tariff jurisdictions. |
4. SWOT Analysis: Brunei Economy 2026
Strengths | Weaknesses |
* Huge hydrocarbon reserves and low production costs. * High political stability and "Friend to All" foreign policy. * Strategic location within the ASEAN trade corridor. | * Heavy reliance on oil/gas (over 90% of exports). * Small domestic market limits industrial scaling. * Limited tech sector making it vulnerable to "Section 232" duties. |
Opportunities | Threats |
* Growth in "Green Energy" (biofuels) which may avoid some U.S. duties. * Expansion of the Muara Port as a regional transshipment hub. * "China-Plus-One" strategy attracting diversified manufacturing. | * Escalation of U.S. reciprocal tariffs to 30%+. * Global energy price volatility impacting government revenue. * Stronger competition from regional neighbors like Vietnam and Malaysia. |
US Revised Tariffs
Country Tariffs
Balance of Trade
Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in countries, prepared by U.S. Embassies worldwide, Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
Tariff Rate for US
World Bank staff estimates using the World Integrated Trade Solution system, based on tariff data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development's Trade Analysis and Information System ( TRAINS ) database and global imports data from the United Nations Statistics Division's Comtrade database.
US Imports Guide
United States Imports from Countries during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. United States Imports from Countries- data, historical chart and statistics - was last updated on April of 2025.
Investing in USA
theboardiQ Economic Relevance Score, ranks States of USA based on 11 parameters
Sources : Forbes | USDA Economic Research | TCGen Total Innovation Rank Index | Best States for Manufacturing | World Population Review | Tax Foundation | US News | BEA Data | Wikipedia | International Trade Administration
theboardiQ's Economic Relevance Score provides a comprehensive, data-driven assessment of a nation's economic vitality and global significance. This score is meticulously calculated using 11 key parameters, each reflecting a critical facet of economic performance. It analyzes the representation of Fortune 500 companies within a nation, a strong indicator of its business environment and market size. The balance of trade surplus or deficit reveals the nation's international competitiveness and export strength. It incorporates Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a fundamental measure of overall economic output, and examine the health of key sectors like agriculture and manufacturing. The score also accounts for innovation, gauging a nation's ability to drive future growth through technological advancements. Crucial labor market indicators such as employment rates are considered, alongside fiscal policies reflected in tax rates. To capture the lived experience of citizens, it assesses cost of living and disposable income, providing insight into purchasing power and economic well-being. Finally, education levels are integrated, recognizing their pivotal role in fostering a skilled workforce and driving long-term economic development. By synthesizing these 11 parameters, theboardiQ's Economic Relevance Score delivers a nuanced and holistic view of a nation's economic standing, enabling informed strategic decisions. The Top 5 States in the assessment are Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida and Washington. Texas does consistently well across most of the 11 variables especially in the areas of GDP, F500 representation in the State, Balance of Trade where it ranks 2nd nationally. North Carolina scores as the highest-ranking state nationally in manufacturing and performs consistently across the other variables. Virginia does well in disposable income where it ranks 3rd nationally. It also scores high in the variables of manufacturing and employment Florida holds the 4th ranking nationally for GDP and Tax Washington State scores the top spot for disposable income nationally, 2nd for education and 3rd for innovation. Colorado, with an overall rank of 7 scores the top spot for Education (schools and higher education). Nebraska, that ranked 10th overall, did well in Agriculture where it is ranked 3rd nationally as well as Trade Balance where it ranked 5th. Illinois, though ranked 20th overall did well nationally in F500 representation, GDP, Agriculture, and Disposable Income. Pennsylvania comes in at 21 overall doing well nationally in GDP (6th); Manufacturing (8th) and F500 representation (8th) New York scores 23rd overall with a 2 ranking in Disposable Income nationally, as well as 3rd in both F500 representation and GDP. California comes in at 29th overall and has the top spot ranking in a whopping 4 variables nationally – GDP, Innovation, Agriculture and F500 representation. However, performance in the areas of Trade Balance, Cost of Living, Tax, Manufacturing and Employment resulted in the overall ranking dipping. Wyoming at 30th overall scores the top spot nationally in the area of Tax Massachusetts at 31 overall does well in innovation where it is ranked 2nd nationally Arkansas at 36 and Alabama at 39, do well in overall Cost of Living where they are ranked 2nd and 3rd nationally, respectively. Louisiana ranked 44th overall is ranked 1st in Trade Balance nationally.

Economic
Relevance
Ranking
State | Info | Overall Rank | Agri | Innov | Mfg | Employ | Tax | Edu | GDP | F500 Rep | Trade Balance | Cost of Living | Disp Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texas | 1 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 42 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 13 | |
North Carolina | 2 | 9 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 28 | 11 | 16 | 41 | 17 | 17 | |
Virginia | 3 | 32 | 24 | 6 | 2 | 28 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 34 | 35 | 3 | |
Florida | 4 | 21 | 11 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 35 | 4 | 7 | 40 | 30 | 37 | |
Washington | 5 | 16 | 3 | 36 | 28 | 45 | 9 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 43 | 1 | |
Missouri | 6 | 11 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 13 | 32 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 10 | 20 | |
Georgia | 7 | 15 | 26 | 9 | 3 | 26 | 34 | 8 | 9 | 43 | 26 | 19 | |
Minnesota | 8 | 6 | 10 | 47 | 6 | 44 | 8 | 20 | 10 | 33 | 33 | 9 | |
Ohio | 9 | 12 | 32 | 7 | 30 | 35 | 36 | 7 | 5 | 38 | 15 | 11 | |
Illinois | 10 | 5 | 23 | 31 | 23 | 37 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 47 | 32 | 7 |