Trade, entrepreneurship and the future of ASEAN’s economy

With a population of over 600 million, ASEAN is the world’s third-largest market. It also offers the third-largest labor force, behind China and India, and has some 67 million households that are part of the “consuming class”, a figure that could almost double to 125 million by 2025. Between 2007 and 2014, ASEAN trade increased by a value of nearly $1 trillion. While nearly a quarter (24%) of trade was within the region, this was followed by trade with China (14%), Europe (10%), Japan (9%) and the United States (8%). During the same period, foreign direct investment rose from $85 billion to $136 billion.

Trade, entrepreneurship and the future of ASEAN’s economy