AEIR 2021

The economy recovered quickly in the second half of 2020, with GDP reversing its 25.2% second quarter contraction (seasonally adjusted annualized rate) to13.1% growth in the fourth quarter. The main driver was household consumption, which expanded by 18.1%, followed by fixed investments (15.0%) and exports (16.3%). Seasonally adjusted retail sales also grew by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. In October, the consumer sentiment index turned positive. The manufacturing performance index improved. The recovery brought the unemployment rate down from 7.5% in July 2020 to 5.8% in February 2021, while inflation decelerated from 1.6% in 2019 to 0.9% in 2020. Substantial fiscal and monetary support, along with effective COVID-19 measures, helped drive these economic developments and positive outlook. As of 25 March 2021, Consensus Forecasts estimated GDP growth to be 4.3% in 2021 and 3.1% in 2022.

Source: Asian Development Outlook 2021.
Latest Month-Ago Year-Ago
Composite Stock Price Index 1 4.0 (May21)3.0 3.0
Broad Money Growth 2 13.7 (Dec20)13.7 13.1
Headline Inflation Rate 3 1.1 (Mar21)2.2
Industrial/ Manufacturing Production Growth Rate 3 -1.6 (Mar21)2.8
Merchandise Export Growth 3 40.8 (Apr21)40.8 25.4
Exchange Rate Index 4 103.4 (May21)102.6 86.8
1 Monthly average, local index.
2 %.
3 y-o-y, %.
4 Monthly average, January 2006 = 100, $/local currency.
Source: Bloomberg LP; CEIC database.

Initiatives / FTAs

News

Publications













Featured Publications

Making Digital Platforms Work for Asia and the Pacific
Edited by: Bambang Susantono, Cyn-Young Park
Edited by: Bambang Susantono, Yasuyuki Sawada, Cyn-Young Park
Demographic Change, Productivity, and the Role of Technology
Toward Optimal Provision of Regional Public Goods in Asia and the Pacific