Indonesia Exports Rise 6.72 Percent as Manufacturing Drives Growth

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Indonesia's exports reached USD 26.61 billion in August 2026. This figure represents a 6.72 percent year-on-year (yoy) increase, driven by non-oil and gas exports and the manufacturing sector.

Non-oil and gas exports accounted for USD 25.62 billion that month. Meanwhile, exports from the manufacturing sector grew by 12.48 percent, thereby strengthening the role of manufacturing in supporting trade performance.

Trade Minister Budi Santoso stated that this achievement demonstrates the resilience of Indonesia’s exports amid global economic dynamics.

“This growth is a positive signal that Indonesia’s trade activity continues to follow an expansive trend,” said Minister Budi in his official statement in Jakarta on Thursday, October 1, 2026, as quoted on the ministry’s official website.

Cumulatively, exports from January through August 2026 reached USD 193.64 billion, up 4.74 percent compared to the same period the previous year. Exports from the manufacturing sector were the main contributor, totaling USD 159.55 billion, a 7.87 percent increase.

Minister Budi stated that the significant increase in the manufacturing sector demonstrates the success of the structural transformation that has been consistently implemented. He said Indonesia is starting to transform from an exporter of raw materials into a producer of high-value-added industrial processed products.

“This downstream processing has proven to be the main catalyst that has multiplied export value, strengthened the competitiveness of the national industry, and created a multiplier effect for job creation and domestic economic growth,” said Minister Budi.

The August trade balance recorded a surplus of USD 3.55 billion, with a non-oil and gas surplus of USD 6.09 billion. Iron and steel, palm oil and its derivatives, and coal were the main drivers of non-oil and gas exports.

From January through August 2026, the trade surplus reached USD 7.25 billion. The non-oil and gas surplus reached USD 28.54 billion, with the US, India, and the Philippines as the largest contributors.

The ministry’s Director General of National Export Development, Fajarini Puntodewi, said that market diversification is a strategy to sustain export growth. The ministry is optimizing 46 trade representatives in 33 countries to open business opportunities in South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.

“We will keep encouraging Indonesian trade representatives to actively seek out market opportunities, connect exporters with potential buyers through business matching, and provide guidance until transactions are finalized," Fajarini said.

"With these steps, we’re optimistic that national export performance will continue to grow through the end of 2026,” she concluded. ***