Brunei People - 2022
SOURCE: 2022 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK
Population
478,054 (2022 est.)
note: immigrants make up approximately 26% of the total population, according to UN data (2019)
Nationality
noun: Bruneian(s)
adjective: Bruneian
Ethnic groups
Malay 65.8%, Chinese 10.2%, other 24% (2020 est.)
Languages
Malay (Bahasa Melayu) (official), English, Chinese dialects
major-language sample(s):
Buku Fakta Dunia, sumber yang diperlukan untuk maklumat asas. (Malay)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions
Muslim (official) 80.9%, Christian 7.1%, Buddhist 7.1%, other (includes indigenous beliefs) 5% (2016 est.)
Demographic profile
Brunei is a small, oil-rich sultanate of less than half a million people, making it the smallest country in Southeast Asia by population. Its total fertility rate – the average number of births per woman – has been steadily declining over the last few decades, from over 3.5 in the 1980s to below replacement level today at nearly 1.8. The trend is due to women’s increased years of education and participation in the workforce, which have resulted in later marriages and fewer children. Yet, the population continues to grow because of the large number of women of reproductive age and a reliance on foreign labor – mainly from Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and South Asian countries – to fill low-skilled jobs.
Brunei is officially Muslim, and Malay is the official language. The country follows an official Malay national ideology, Malay Islamic Monarchy, which promotes Malay language and culture, Islamic values, and the monarchy. Only seven of Brunei’s native groups are recognized in the constitution and are defined as “Malay” – Brunei Malays, Belait, Kedayan, Dusun, Bisayak, Lun Bawang, and Sama-Baiau. Together they make up about 66% percent of the population and are referred to as the Bumiputera. The Bumiputera are entitled to official privileges, including land ownership, access to certain types of employment (Royal Brunei Armed Forces and Brunei Shell Petroleum), easier access to higher education, and better job opportunities in the civil service.
Brunei’s Chinese population descends from migrants who arrived when Brunei was a British protectorate (1888 and 1984). They are prominent in the non-state commercial sector and account for approximately 10% of the population. Most Bruneian Chinese are permanent residents rather than citizens despite roots going back several generations. Many are stateless and are denied rights granted to citizens, such as land ownership, subsidized health care, and free secondary and university education. Because of the discriminatory policies, the number of Chinese in Brunei has shrunk considerably in the last 50 years. Native ethnic groups that are not included in the Bumiputera are not recognized in the constitution and are not officially identified as “Malay” or automatically granted citizenship. Foreign workers constitute some quarter of the labor force.
Age structure
0-14 years: 22.41% (male 53,653/female 50,446)
15-24 years: 16.14% (male 37,394/female 37,559)
25-54 years: 47.21% (male 103,991/female 115,291)
55-64 years: 8.34% (male 19,159/female 19,585)
65 years and over: 5.9% (male 13,333/female 14,067) (2020 est.)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 39.2
youth dependency ratio: 31.1
elderly dependency ratio: 8.1
potential support ratio: 12.4 (2021 est.)
Median age
total: 31.1 years
male: 30.5 years
female: 31.8 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate
1.45% (2022 est.)
Birth rate
16.14 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate
3.79 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Urbanization
urban population: 79.1% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.44% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population
241,000 BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (capital) (2011)
note: the boundaries of the capital city were expanded in 2007, greatly increasing the city area; the population of the capital increased tenfold
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.89 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
31 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 10.52 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 12.88 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 8.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2022 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 78.38 years
male: 76.01 years
female: 80.86 years (2022 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.74 children born/woman (2022 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
N/A
Drinking water source
improved: urban: 99.7% of population
rural: N/A
total: 99.9% of population
unimproved: urban: 0.4% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0.1% of population (2020)
Current health expenditure
2.2% of GDP (2019)
Physicians density
1.61 physicians/1,000 population (2017)
Hospital bed density
2.9 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Sanitation facility access
improved: urban: N/A
rural: N/A
total: N/A
unimproved: urban: N/A
rural: N/A
total: N/A
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
N/A
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
14.1% (2016)
Alcohol consumption per capita
total: 0.69 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 0.66 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
total: 16.2% (2020 est.)
male: 30% (2020 est.)
female: 2.3% (2020 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
N/A
Education expenditures
4.4% of GDP (2016 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.2%
male: 98.1%
female: 93.4% (2018)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 14 years
male: 14 years
female: 14 years (2020)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
total: 26.4%
male: 22.7%
female: 32.4% (2020 est.)
NOTE: The information regarding Brunei on this page is re-published from the 2022 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Brunei 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Brunei 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 01 Dec 23, Copyright © 23 ITA all rights reserved.