Statistics Indonesia (BPS) reported on 1 October 2026 that merchandise exports were US$26.61 billion in August and merchandise imports were US$23.06 billion. Exports rose 6.72% from August 2025, while imports increased 19.09%. The difference between the two monthly values implies a merchandise surplus of about US$3.55 billion. BPS’s summary also gives the January–August cumulative totals and separates non-oil-and-gas trade from trade in oil and gas.

August non-oil-and-gas exports were US$25.62 billion, up 7.23% year over year. This is a narrower category than total exports because it excludes oil and gas trade. In January–August 2026, total exports reached US$193.64 billion, 4.74% higher than in the same period of 2025. Non-oil-and-gas exports for the eight months amounted to US$185.63 billion; BPS reported a 5.48% annual increase for that group.

On the import side, the August total rose 19.09% year over year to US$23.06 billion. Non-oil-and-gas imports were US$19.53 billion, a 17.20% increase. For January–August, total imports were US$186.39 billion, up 19.84% from the corresponding eight months a year earlier. Non-oil-and-gas imports reached US$157.09 billion over the same period, a change of 16.83%. These are value series and do not show that physical import quantities increased at the same rate.

BPS reported a January–August merchandise surplus of US$7.25 billion. It said this net result comprised a US$28.54 billion surplus in non-oil-and-gas trade and a US$21.29 billion deficit in oil and gas trade. The split shows the sector composition of the overall balance. These figures concern merchandise trade; they are not totals for services trade, investment income, or the current account of the balance of payments.

Comparisons should distinguish a monthly flow from a cumulative year-to-date total. Exports of US$26.61 billion and imports of US$23.06 billion cover August alone. The US$193.64 billion export total and US$186.39 billion import total cover eight months from January through August. Annual percentages compare each series with the same month or period in 2025; they are not month-on-month rates.

BPS methodology documents say that foreign-trade values are compiled from customs declarations. Export data use PEB forms and imports use PIB forms, and the general description characterizes customs records as a complete enumeration. Valuation differs for the two flows: exports are recorded FOB, or the value when delivered on board at the loading port; imports are recorded CIF, including cost, insurance, and freight. Both flows are expressed in US dollars. These definitions mean the reported export and import values are not identical valuation concepts.

The general methodology excludes some goods, including passengers’ personal effects and empty containers. Exports use the general trade system, while imports use the special trade system; the import definition includes specific coverage rules for free-trade zones. The published series therefore reflects customs records and the boundaries of those trade-system definitions. BPS’s monthly summary does not say that the values are seasonally adjusted, so no such adjustment is assumed here.

The figures describe merchandise trade values in nominal US dollars and their annual changes. They do not isolate exchange-rate effects, represent inflation-adjusted real values, or by themselves measure physical trade volumes. August’s export and import movements and the eight-month surplus should be read within those limits. This article reports the totals and non-oil-and-gas subtotals in BPS’s 1 October release, together with the coverage explained in BPS methodology documents; it does not add causes or outlook claims absent from the source.