Nandito Putra, Jakarta – The Ministry of Trade records that the United States has become the largest contributor to the trade surplus in 2025. The Minister of Trade, Budi Santoso, revealed that Indonesia's trade surplus with America reached US$18.11 billion, surpassing India, which previously often held the top position.
"If we look at it, our largest surplus is actually with America, followed by India, the Philippines, the Netherlands, and Vietnam," said Budi Santoso in a press conference at the Ministry of Trade office on Friday, February 6, 2026.
India is in second place behind the U.S. with a surplus of $13.49 billion. Furthermore, the Philippines contributed a surplus of US$8.42 billion, followed by the Netherlands with US$4.81 billion, and Vietnam with US$4.47 billion.
Budi stated that this shift indicates a change in the map of Indonesia's main trading partners, especially amid the dynamics of global trade throughout 2025.
He said that this trading performance was achieved amid fairly tense geopolitical dynamics. In addition to increasing protectionism in several countries, the prices of Indonesia's primary commodities declined significantly throughout last year.
In the international market, the price of crude palm oil (CPO) decreased by 16.2 percent, while the price of coal fell by as much as 19.7 percent. "This certainly affects our main export performance, because these commodities contribute significantly to national exports," said Budi.
However, Indonesia's export performance still recorded growth. Throughout 2025, the value of Indonesia's exports increased by 6.15 percent compared to the previous year. Non-oil and gas exports even grew higher, reaching 7.66 percent. Several groups of manufactured products, including aluminum and its derivatives, as well as chemical products, also recorded an increase in exports.
Along with the export growth, Budi mentioned that Indonesia's trade balance surplus also surged significantly. In 2025, the trade surplus was recorded at $41.05 billion, marking a 31.03 percent increase from the previous year.
This achievement also marks Indonesia's 68th consecutive month of trade surpluses. "In any condition in the global market, we hope that we can continue to increase exports," said Budi.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2085533/united-states-leads-indonesias-trade-surplu