Southeast Asia’s Story of Contrasts in One Chart

Key Takeaways

• Southeast Asia is a perfect microcosm of the world economy in many ways.
• Indonesia is a classic example of economic scale ($1.4 trillion GDP) driven by sheer population size (284 million people).
• On the other hand, Singapore has only 6.1 million people, and has built a $565 billion economy (with the region's highest GDP per capita at nearly $93,000.)
• And then there's Timor-Leste, one of the poorest countries in the world, with a GDP per capita of $1,500.
• Meanwhile, Brunei’s education spend (4.4% of GDP) suggests long-term planning beyond oil dependence.