The Riau Province economy has demonstrated robust performance in the global market, with total exports surging by 18.98% year-on-year, reaching US$17.58 billion in the January–October 2025 period.
According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), this significant growth was primarily spearheaded by the non-oil and gas sector, which posted an impressive 24.16% increase, totaling US$16.64 billion. This highlights the successful diversification of Riau’s economy away from conventional oil and gas commodities, which saw a decline of 31.61%.

The vegetable and animal fats/oils sector—a category strongly associated with palm oil—emerged as the key growth driver, increasing by US$2.60 billion (37.21%). Major non-oil and gas export destinations continue to be China, India, and Malaysia, collectively accounting for over 32% of the trade value.
While celebrating the trade surplus, analysts note a cautionary trend: imports of capital goods plummeted by nearly 60%. This decline, according to BPS, signals potential future challenges in investment activity and the growth trajectory of the processing industry, requiring sustained governmental and stakeholder attention to maintain this strong economic momentum.

Source: https://mediacenter.riau.go.id/read/94255/ekspor-riau-januarioktober-2025-naik-1898-per.html