InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – Indonesia's trade balance recorded a surplus in April 2025, albeit narrower than the previous month. Trade Minister Budi Santoso announced that the surplus for the month reached US$ 0.16 billion, continuing a positive trend that has persisted for 60 consecutive months since May 2020.
This surplus was driven by a non-oil and gas surplus of US$ 1.51 billion, which offset an oil and gas deficit of US$ 1.35 billion. Compared to the March 2025 surplus of US$ 4.33 billion, the April figure did show a decline. However, cumulatively, the national trade performance remains positive. "The surplus from January to April 2025 reached US$ 11.07 billion, higher than the US$ 10.13 billion recorded in the same period last year," Minister Budi stated in a release by InfoSAWIT on Friday (June 6, 2025).
The non-oil and gas trade surplus was supported by positive balances with several key partners. The United States contributed the largest surplus at US$ 1.31 billion, followed by India (US$ 0.93 billion), the Philippines (US$ 0.72 billion), Malaysia (US$ 0.51 billion), and Vietnam (US$ 0.39 billion).
Meanwhile, Indonesia's total export value in April 2025 was recorded at US$ 20.74 billion, a 10.77% decrease compared to March 2025. This decline was attributed to a reduction in both oil and gas exports (-19.52%) and non-oil and gas exports (-10.19%) on a monthly basis. "This is a typical seasonal decline that occurs during the Idulfitri holiday, compounded by pressures from falling commodity prices and weakened global demand due to geopolitical uncertainties," Budi explained.
In terms of export structure, the manufacturing sector remains the backbone, contributing 81.48% of total non-oil and gas exports. Although this is a decrease from the previous month (83.29%), this sector still shows the highest contribution compared to mining (16.07%) and agriculture (2.45%).
On a monthly basis, the agricultural sector experienced the sharpest decline in exports, down 16.54%, followed by the manufacturing sector (-12.14%). Conversely, the mining sector saw positive growth of 2.58%.
Several non-oil and gas commodities showed an increase in export value in April 2025. Metal ores, slag, and ash (HS 26) rose significantly by 37.94%, followed by precious metals and jewelry (HS 71) at 26.56%, and machinery and electrical equipment (HS 85) at 0.52%.
However, three major export products experienced declines: mineral fuels (HS 27) fell by 6.23%, iron and steel (HS 72) decreased by 2.72%, and animal/vegetable fats and oils (HS 15) plummeted by 39.23% compared to the previous month.
Key Markets and Growth Directions
China, the United States, and India remain the primary markets for Indonesia's non-oil and gas exports. The total export value to these three countries reached US$ 8.22 billion, accounting for approximately 41.97% of national non-oil and gas exports.
The highest monthly growth was recorded in Switzerland (149.57%), Canada (54.09%), Singapore (26.78%), Mexico (11.03%), and Taiwan (8.99%). In contrast, the steepest declines occurred in Egypt (-42.70%), Italy (-42.25%), Pakistan (-40.91%), the United Kingdom (-35.62%), and Hong Kong (-30.58%).
Regionally, non-oil and gas exports grew in Central America (14.71%), South America (4.41%), Western Europe (4.41%), and Southeast Asia (1.11%). Conversely, sharp declines were seen in South Africa (-49.73%), Central Asia (-44.48%), North Africa (-42.53%), and the Caribbean (-41.88%).
Cumulatively, Indonesia's exports from January to April 2025 reached US$ 87.36 billion, growing 6.65% compared to the same period last year. This growth was supported by non-oil and gas exports, which rose 7.68% to US$ 82.56 billion, while oil and gas exports decreased by 8.43% to US$ 4.81 billion.
With a sustained surplus trend and positive annual export performance, Indonesia's trade balance continues to demonstrate resilience amid global pressures and market volatility. (T2)
