Indonesia is currently an importer of fuel (BBM) from various countries. Among the suppliers, Singapore ranks as the largest source. Between January and December 2024, Indonesia imported 15,072,544,366 kilograms of fuel from Singapore, with a total value of US$ 11,404,019,938.

Following Singapore, Malaysia stands as the second-largest contributor. According to data from Indonesia's Central Statistics Agency (BPS), from January to December 2024, fuel imports from Malaysia reached 6,142,308,425 kilograms, valued at US$ 4,524,901,336.

Previously, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia candidly stated that Indonesia’s dependency on imported oil and fuel was deliberately orchestrated.

He explained that the consistent decline in Indonesia’s oil production (or "lifting") is the root of the problem. He noted that the current contrast between oil supply and consumption is the reverse of what it was in 1997.

Back in 1996–1997, Indonesia produced about 1.5 to 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd), while consumption stood at only 500,000 bpd. This allowed the country to export around 1 million bpd.

Today, Indonesia's oil production is down to only 580,000 bpd, whereas demand has climbed to 1.6 million bpd. As a result, the country now imports around 1 million bpd to meet its domestic needs.

"The next question is whether the drop in lifting is due to declining natural resources, or is it a deliberate move to keep imports going? I swear to God, I believe this was intentionally designed. For the sake of President Prabowo’s mandate and for our homeland, I will not back down an inch against these people," Bahlil declared at the 2025 Energy & Mineral Forum held at Kempinski Hotel, Jakarta, as quoted on Monday (June 2, 2025).

He continued, "Why do I say this is by design? I’m not an ITB graduate, nor an oil and gas expert, though I run a business in this sector. But I was trained in a ‘university’ called Kawah Candradimuka—which you won’t find on Google. I learned through HIPMI that behind every problem lies an opportunity. I’ve examined whether we truly can’t raise our lifting numbers."

Bahlil also noted that Indonesia owns nearly 40,000 oil and gas wells, but only around 20,000 are productive, with the rest considered non-operational.

Here’s the list of fuel import volumes and values by country:

• Singapore: 15,072,544,366 kg – US$ 11,404,019,938

• Malaysia: 6,142,308,425 kg – US$ 4,524,901,336

• Saudi Arabia: 3,428,428,989 kg – US$ 2,053,001,047

• South Korea: 893,212,589 kg – US$ 720,869,788

• United Arab Emirates: 964,597,344 kg – US$ 691,168,929

• Taiwan: 318,918,331 kg – US$ 255,343,478

• Russia: 359,685,057 kg – US$ 210,106,607

• Qatar: 124,598,178 kg – US$ 124,066,257

• Bahrain: 162,426,720 kg – US$ 91,956,364

• Greece: 103,920,109 kg – US$ 67,299,014

• Malta: 79,358,413 kg – US$ 45,417,308

• Brunei Darussalam: 59,531,620 kg – US$ 40,856,271

• Iraq: 48,106,000 kg – US$ 19,675,383