Asia Regional Integration Center
Tracking Asian Integration
Economic growth is estimated to have fallen to 0.7% in 2019 from 3.5% in 2018. Slower growth among major trading partner economies cut growth in visitor arrivals to 2.8%, the lowest since 2013. Growth in tourism earnings slowed to 2.7% from 4.5% in 2018. A tighter government budget and slower growth in private sector credit also contributed to the GDP growth slowdown. Sugarcane production accelerated to 6.5% in 2019 from 4.0% in 2018 and sugar production grew by 5.3%, reversing the 11.2% decline in 2018. The fiscal deficit narrowed to 3.4% of GDP while monetary policy remained accommodative in response to weak demand. GDP is projected to contract by 4.9% in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ban most travel. Investment in climate resilient infrastructure, limits on debt exposure and building fiscal buffers could help growth recover to 3.0% in 2021.
Latest | Month-Ago | Year-Ago | |
---|---|---|---|
Headline Inflation Rate 1 | -1.3 (Jan21) | -2.8 | -1.9 |
Merchandise Export Growth 1 | 19.1 (Nov20) | 19.1 | 17.6 |
Exchange Rate Index 2 | 84.5 (Feb21) | 84.5 | 84.4 |
1 y-o-y, %. 2 Monthly average, January 2006 = 100, $/local currency. | |||
Source: CEIC database. |
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