Indonesia's export value in 2016 reached US$144.43 billion, while imports amounted to US$135.65 billion. As a result, the trade balance in 2016 recorded a surplus of US$8.78 billion, a 14.5 percent increase from the previous year's US$7.67 billion. Indonesia has recorded an increase in its trade surplus for the past two years.
This increased surplus is not due to export growth, but rather to a greater decrease in imports than in exports. In 2016, Indonesian imports fell by 4.94 percent, while exports decreased by only 3.95 percent compared to the previous year.
Indonesia's trade balance experienced a deficit from 2012 to 2014. The global economic slowdown caused by the European debt crisis and the American financial crisis led to sluggish global demand. Indonesia's export value reached its highest record in 2011 at US$2013.5 billion. Meanwhile, import value reached its highest record in 2012 at US$191.7 billion, resulting in a US$1.67 billion trade deficit for Indonesia.
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