KEY FACTS

Joined Commonwealth: 1984
Population: 412,000 (2012)
GDP p.c. growth: –0.3% p.a. 1990–2012
UN HDI 2012: world ranking 30
Official language: Malay
Time: GMT plus 8hr
Currency: Brunei dollar (Br$)

Geography

Area: 5,765 sq km
Coastline: 161 km
Capital: Bandar Seri Begawan

Brunei Darussalam (Brunei – ‘Abode of Peace’) is a small state in South-East Asia on the north-west coast of the island of Borneo, in the Indonesian Archipelago. Its 161 km coastline faces the South China Sea. On the land side, it is enclosed by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, which divides it in two. The districts of Brunei–Muara, Tutong and Belait make up the larger, western part of the country; Temburong district the east.

Main towns:

Bandar Seri Begawan (capital, pop. 76,200 in 2009, comprising Kampong Ayer 42,500), Kuala Belait (28,400), Seria (28,300), Tutong (21,500), Muara and Bangar.

Society

KEY FACTS 2012

Population per sq km: 72
Life expectancy: 78 years
Net primary enrolment: 92%

Population:

412,000 (2012); 76 per cent of people live in urban areas, concentrated along the coast; growth 2.1 per cent p.a. 1990–2012; birth rate 16 per 1,000 people (36 in 1970); life expectancy 78 years (67 in 1970). Malays comprise some two-thirds of the population, and Chinese (about 11 per cent), Europeans, Indians and other races make up the balance.

Language:

Official language is Malay; English is widely spoken. Other languages include Chinese (various dialects), Tamil, Iban and Dusun.

Education:

Public spending on education was three per cent of GDP in 2012. The primary component of a new education system was introduced during 2009–11. Under this system, there are six years of primary school, starting at the age of six and leading to Primary School Assessment, or Penilaian Sekolah Rendah, and, depending on academic ability, either four or five years of secondary school, leading to the Brunei–Cambridge or London Edexcel International GCE O-Level exams. The school year starts in January. On the establishment of the Universiti Brunei Darussalam  (UBD) in Bandar Seri Begawan in 1985, local pursuit of degree courses became possible. The government, nevertheless, continued to award scholarships to qualified Brunei citizens to undertake courses of study not yet available at UBD and many Bruneians continue their studies in other Commonwealth countries or other countries such as the USA. Other institutions at tertiary level include the Jefri Bolkiah College of Engineering at Kuala Belait; and the Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University and Institut Teknologi Brunei at Gadong, Bandar Seri Begawan. The female–male ratio for gross enrolment in tertiary education is 1.70:1 (2011). There is virtually no illiteracy among people aged 15–24.