Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia's trade surplus shrank from $3.55 billion in August to $3.36 billion the following month, according to the latest data from the central statistics bureau BPS.

Indonesia had swung from a six-year surplus to its first-ever deficit in May 2026. The country eventually returned to the black in July, and has kept the position since then. The latest $3.36 billion positive trade balance, however, is still much smaller than the $4.20 billion seen in September 2025.

"Our September 2026 exports rose 11.87% year-on-year [yoy] to $27.59 billion. ... Our imports also went up 18.41% yoy to $24.23 billion," BPS deputy Ateng Hartono told a press briefing in Jakarta.

Non-oil exports soared 12.39% yoy that month. A double-digit hike of 23.94% yoy occurred in oil and gas imports, according to BPS. The cumulative surplus in January-September dropped by almost half from $33.54 billion in 2025 to $10.61 billion the following year.

China consistently fuels Indonesia's deficits, widening them by around $21.20 billion in January-September 2026. The US – despite its worries over yawning imbalances – remains the indisputable top driver of Jakarta's surplus, data showed. US trade was largely in Indonesia's favor, with a $14.26 billion surplus over the same nine-month period.

Indonesian economists had previously projected that Jakarta would keep its surplus momentum, but many had predicted a major drop down to the $1 billion mark in September.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/business/indonesias-trade-surplus-shrinks-to-336-billio