Located to the South of China and Taiwan, the East of India and Bangladesh, North of Australia and West of Papua New Guinea, Southeast Asia is a tropical sub-continent of Asia. It is home to several emerging market countries making the region one of the most dynamic in the world, an important driver of the world's economic growth.
Southeast Asia has a large population of more than 650 million inhabitants. It is a diverse region with rich cultural and natural heritage famous all over the world for tourism and recognized through many UNESCO World Heritage Sites throughout Southeast Asia.
Southeast Asia regroups some of the world's fastest growing economies. Many of its major countries attract the attention from global companies and investors willing to do business in the region and reap the benefits of its growth. To do so, they can notably rely upon the chambers of commerce in Southeast Asia from the world's major economic powers and get informed through several news websites from Southeast Asia in English.
ASEAN – Association of South-East Asian Nations
The Association of South-East Asian Nations – ASEAN – is an economic and political organisation of 10 countries located in Southeast Asia: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Together they span about 4,46 million km² and gather more that 650 million people which make the ASEAN market very attractive. The 10 ASEAN countries gradually came together to improve common political and economic ties and form a stronger political body as well as an more integrated and larger market.
The ASEAN six majors refers to the six biggest economies of ASEAN in terms of Gross Domestic Product, which are several times larger that the four others:
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Philippines
- Singapore
- Thailand
- Vietnam
Comparison of ASEAN economies by nominal GDP
The ASEAN Economic Community
The ASEAN Economic Community – AEC – is a project of economic integration between the ten ASEAN countries that was launched on 31 December 2015. It aims at providing the following advantages to business in the ASEAN economic community.
- single market and production base
- highly competitive economic region
- region of equitable economic development
- region fully integrated into the global economy
ASEAN plus three
The term ASEAN plus three – ASEAN+3 – refers to the will of East Asian countries to develop further political and economic ties between ASEAN nations and:
- China
- Japan
- South Korea
Various other meetings with regional and global partners have been coined with other terminology to facilitate discussions with India, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Russia and the US.
Digital in Southeast Asia
The digital technology sector is currently booming in Southeast Asia, thanks to the rapid development of telecommunications infrastructure and the spread of mobile phones, notably in Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. More mature markets like Singapore and Malaysia are not left aside as they harbor diversified eco-systems for tech startups to grow and providing significant sources of revenues for e-commerce and digital services companies.
Business in Indonesia
Business in Thailand
Business in Malaysia
Business in Singapore
Business in the Philippines
Business in Vietnam
Business in Myanmar
Business in Cambodia
Business in Laos
Business in BruneiRecent Resources
Southeast Asia is experiencing rapid growth of the Internet, digital, social media and mobile activities. With more than 400 million Internet users in and double-digit growth in most segments and most countries of the region, the digital sector is booming and attracting a lot of interests.
Southeast Asia is currently experiencing a boom in the technology sector that is led by six unicorn startups. Having become giants in a only a few year, these companies are now regional and global leaders in their respective fields: from e-commerce to ride-hailing, from gaming to travel and digital payments.
Even though it is a developing area, Southeast Asia is already home to tens of billionaires who have built business empires across the region. Having grown their companies by working with their families or as sole entrepreneurs, ASEAN billionaires are at the head of some of the largest corporations of the region.
Taken as a single entity, ASEAN represents the world’s third largest market and one the largest economy. Here are some infographics to dive deeper in international economic and demographic comparisons with the US, EU, China, Japan and India, as well as more details on ASEAN countries relative size and economies.
Cities and urbanization are some of the most important drivers of Southeast Asia’s economic dynamism, environmental, societal and cultural change. To better understand the challenge and opportunities they bring, here are 4 infographics summarizing urban trends on the demography and rural exodus in ASEAN.
Online advertising is an easy and efficient means to reach new customers in Southeast Asia. However, the cost-per-click – CPC – varies greatly between the different ASEAN countries, and it should therefore be evaluated properly by people planning how to spend their marketing budget or monetizing their websites.
Southeast Asia is a culturally rich and diverse region counting numerous sites classified by the UNESCO in the World Heritage of Humanity. With some of the world’s most famous sites like Angkor Wat in Cambodia or Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, Southeast Asia is home to 37 wonderful sites that stand out for their natural …
Southeast Asia has been a top international travel destination for years. But the growing income now also make the Southeast Asian market an important source of tourists within the region and beyond. Travel interest of Singaporeans, Malaysians and Indonesians are here highlighted by their online search.
Education is a major concern in most countries and a key issue in Southeast Asia where many countries have a very young population. With the integration of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, education will also be a major factor to bring ASEAN countries closer together in the coming years and decades.
Through e-commerce, online travel booking or media, digital business is currently attracting a lot of interest in Southeast Asia. Set to grow to a total market size of US$ 200 Billion by 2025, the digital economy will expand through a host of startups that launch new technologies in the region’s most promising countries.