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Foreword
Acknowledgments
Statistical Partners
Guide for Users

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Foreword

The Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2009 or Key Indicators 2009 is the 40th edition of this series, a statistical data book presenting economic, financial, social, and environmental indicators for regional members of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). In this edition, the content and presentation of statistical information follows the pattern established in last year’s Key Indicators with short nontechnical explanations of what the statistics mean and brief analyses on economic, financial, social, and environmental developments in the Asia and Pacific region.

The tables and commentaries are again divided into two groups. The first group refers to the Millennium Development Goals and show the progress of the Asia and Pacific countries toward eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, providing universal access to primary education, reducing child mortality, ensuring environmental sustainability, and other important development goals. The second group of tables provides a broader picture of economic, financial, social, and environmental developments in the region. They are divided into seven themes namely, People; Economy and Output; Money, Finance and Prices; Globalization; Infrastructure; Government and Governance; and Energy and Environment. Each theme is introduced by a short analytic text identifying the main developments over the recent past.

This issue of Key Indicators comes out approximately 1 year after the onset of the global economic crisis. It includes annual statistics up to 2008 for most variables. Some of these, such as the national accounts, exports, and migrants’ remittances, show growth in 2008 slowing as the crisis began to bite, but the full impact of the crisis will only become evident when data for 2009 and 2010 are released. It is already clear, however, that the crisis will affect the ability of countries to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In Part II, country progress toward the various goals is assessed. Some of the poorest countries have been able to make significant advances; however, under the current economic climate, this progress may be arrested as the downside risks are greater than usual. Early indications are that there will be about 60 million additional $1.25-a-day poor in 2009 in the Asia and Pacific region compared to a scenario where growth had not slowed down.

The special chapter in Part I looks at the impact of the economic crisis on workers and enterprises, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It also discusses how to foster greater efficiency in SMEs once the crisis has played out. A key channel through which the economic crisis has affected enterprises is through the reduction in Asian exports. While SMEs tend to work for the domestic rather than export markets, some of the most dynamic SMEs export or supply inputs to larger export-dependent enterprises. Moreover, many SMEs will be affected by the fall in domestic demand as unemployment rises and household incomes contract. In the short run, government efforts at boosting aggregate demand, as well as specific policy initiatives to assist SMEs’ access to finance, should help enterprises cope with the crisis. But over the longer-term, policies must help SMEs adopt modern technologies and raise their productivity. Above all, governments should avoid creating incentives for small enterprises to remain small and operate with outdated technologies. Fostering dynamism in SMEs will not only help their owners, but also workers at large. In this way, a dynamic SME sector can play an important role in the rebalancing of the economies of Asia by raising household incomes and thus domestic demand.

Other new statistical indicators in this edition include primary education completion rate, number of adults living with HIV, and household electrification rate. The regional tables in Part III are largely based on a comprehensive set of country tables. These country tables are no longer provided in printed form but are on a CD-ROM disk at the back of this publication. They can also be accessed online through ADB’s website at www.adb.org/Documents/Books/Key_Indicators/2009/Country.asp and they can be downloaded from ADB’s Statistical Database System at sdbs.adb.org.

We appreciate the cooperation of the governments and international agencies in providing data to ADB and, in the process, enhancing this year’s issue of Key Indicators. We hope that Key Indicators will continue to be a valuable resource for monitoring the progress and addressing the development challenges in the region.

Haruhiko Kuroda
President

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Acknowledgments

The Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2009 was prepared by the Development Indicators and Policy Research Division (ERDI), Economics and Research Department (ERD), Asian Development Bank (ADB) under the overall guidance of Chellam Palanyandy. Benson Sim and Kaushal Joshi led the research team with the technical assistance of Modesta de Castro and Melissa Pascua.

We appreciate the contribution of our statistical partners in the regional members and international organizations that shared data with us. ADB resident missions in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, People’s Republic of China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, and Viet Nam provided support in compiling the data from their respective countries. The Japanese Representative Office, the Pacific Liaison and Coordination Office, the Philippines Country Office, the South Pacific Subregional Office, and the Special Office in Timor-Leste also provided invaluable help in data compilation.

The special chapter (Part I), entitled Enterprises in Asia: Fostering Dynamism in SMEs, was written by Rana Hasan and Niny Khor with contributions from Karl Robert Jandoc, Iva Sebastian, and Albert Kirby Tardeo, and technical assistance from Marissa Barcenas, Jewelwayne Salcedo Cain, and Ma. Rhoda Magsombol. The chapter benefited considerably from background papers prepared by Hank Lim, Dipak Mazumdar, Lourdes Homecillo, and Jiangyong Lu. KyeongAe Choe, Aprajit Mahajan, Dalisay Maligalig, Ying Qian, Lei Lei Song, Guntur Sugiyarto, Tulus Tambunan, and Xiaoping Xu provided very useful background notes and boxes. Staff from national statistics offices in Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Malaysia; Philippines; Taipei,China; and Thailand kindly provided tabulations on the distribution of economic data by enterprise size groups used in the chapter. Valuable suggestions and advice were provided by Armin Bauer, Douglas Brooks, Shiladitya Chatterjee, Martin Endelman, Joao Farinha, Jesus Felipe, Hal Hill, Kaushal Joshi, Chellam Palanyandy, Anthony Patrick, Hyun Hwa Son, and Juzhong Zhuang. Eric Van Zant edited the chapter and typesetting was carried out by Rhommell Rico.

The tables for the Millennium Development Goals (Part II) and Regional Tables (Part III), including the country tables in the accompanying CD-ROM were prepared by ERDI staff and consultants, namely, Glenita Amoranto, Nalwino Billones, Eileen Capilit, Pilar Dayag, Modesta de Castro, Barbara Dizon, Virginia Gañac, Pamela Lapitan, Julieta Magallanes, Melissa Pascua, Regina Reyes, Dennis Sorino, Eric Suan, and Elena Varona. Evelyn Andrada, Ma. Roselia Babalo, Lucila Pery, Clarita Dalaguit-Truong, and Rowena Vicente proofread the country tables with Barbara Dizon as lead.

The commentaries for Parts II and III were prepared by Derek Blades and edited by Peter Wilson under the general guidance of Benson Sim. An interdepartmental review refined the drafts of these commentaries. Invaluable suggestions were also provided by ERDI staff and consultants.

Parts II and III and the country tables were reviewed by Abuzar Asra, Rana Hasan, Kaushal Joshi, Niny Khor, Dalisay Maligalig, Chellam Palanyandy, Benson Sim, and Guntur Sugiyarto, with Cherry Lynn Zafaralla and Wickie Mercado-Baguisi as copy editors. Typesetting was done by Joe Mark Ganaban, and Rhommell Rico, who also took charge of preparing the web files for upload and the CD-ROM. The staff of the ADB Printing Unit, Anna Maria Juico, Victor Lo, and Judy Yniguez under the supervision of Gregg Garcia, were responsible for printing. Andrew Perrin, with the assistance of Vicente Angeles and Muriel Ordoñez, planned and coordinated the dissemination of Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2009.

Jong-Wha Lee
Chief Economist

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Statistical Partners

The preparation and publication of Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2009 would not have been possible without the support, assistance, and cooperation of the Asian Development Bank’s partners in the regional members and international, private, and nongovernment organizations. These partners, who shared their data, knowledge, expertise, and other information, will provide the Asian Development Bank, policy makers, and other data users a better understanding of the performance of countries around the Asia and Pacific region so that better policies can be formulated to improve the quality of life of people around the region.

REGIONAL MEMBERS
Afghanistan	Central Statistics Office Da Afghanistan Bank
Armenia	Central Bank of Armenia National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia
Australia	Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics Australian Bureau of Statistics Reserve Bank of Australia
Azerbaijan	National Bank of Azerbaijan State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Bangladesh	Bangladesh Bank Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics
Bhutan	Ministry of Finance National Statistics Bureau Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan
Brunei Darussalam	Department of Statistics Ministry of Finance
Cambodia	Ministry of Economy and Finance National Bank of Cambodia National Institute of Statistics
China, People’s Republic of	National Bureau of Statistics People’s Bank of China State Administration of Foreign Exchange
Cook Islands	Cook Islands Statistics Office
Fiji Islands	Bureau of Statistics Reserve Bank of Fiji
Georgia	Department of Statistics Ministry of Finance of Georgia National Bank of Georgia
Hong Kong, China	Census and Statistics Department Hong Kong Monetary Authority
India	Central Statistical Organization Ministry of Finance Reserve Bank of India
Indonesia	Bank Indonesia Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS-Statistics Indonesia)
Japan	Bank of Japan Economic and Social Research Institute Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry of Finance Statistics Bureau
Kazakhstan	Agency of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan National Bank of Kazakhstan
Kiribati	Kiribati National Statistics Office
Korea, Republic of	Bank of Korea National Statistical Office
Kyrgyz Republic	National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic
Lao People’s Democratic Republic	Bank of the Lao PDR Republic Department of Statistics Ministry of Finance
Malaysia	Bank Negara Malaysia Department of Statistics
Maldives	Maldives Monetary Authority Ministry of Finance and Treasury Ministry of Planning and National Development
Marshall Islands, Republic of	Economic Policy, Planning and Statistics Office
Micronesia, Federated States of	Division of Statistics Office of Statistics, Budget and Economic Management, Overseas Development Assistance and Compact Management
Mongolia	Bank of Mongolia National Statistical Office of Mongolia
Myanmar	Central Bank of Myanmar Central Statistical Organization Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development
Nauru	Nauru Bureau of Statistics
Nepal	Central Bureau of Statistics Ministry of Finance Nepal Rastra Bank
New Zealand	Ministry of Economic Development Reserve Bank of New Zealand Statistics New Zealand The Treasury
Pakistan	Federal Bureau of Statistics Ministry of Economic Affairs and Statistics Ministry of Finance State Bank of Pakistan
Palau	Office of Planning and Statistics, Bureau of Budget and Planning
Papua New Guinea	Bank of Papua New Guinea Department of Treasury National Statistical Office
Philippines	Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Bureau of the Treasury Department of Energy National Statistical Coordination Board National Statistics Office
Samoa	Central Bank of Samoa Statistical Services Division Treasury Department of Samoa
Singapore	Economic Development Board International Enterprise Singapore Ministry of Finance Ministry of Manpower Monetary Authority of Singapore Singapore Department of Statistics
Solomon Islands	Central Bank of Solomon Islands Statistics Office
Sri Lanka	Central Bank of Statistics Department of Census and Statistics
Taipei,China	Central Bank of China Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics Ministry of Education Ministry of Finance
Tajikistan	National Bank of Tajikistan State Committee on Statistics of the Republic of Tajikistan (Goskomstat)
Thailand	Bank of Thailand Ministry of Finance National Economic and Social Development Board National Statistical Office
Timor-Leste	Banking and Payments Authority of Timor-Leste National Statistics Directorate
Tonga	Ministry of Finance National Reserve Bank of Tonga Statistics Department
Turkmenistan	National Institute of State Statistics and Information (Turkmenmillihasabat)
Tuvalu	Central Statistics Division
Uzbekistan	Cabinet of Ministers, Government of Uzbekistan Center for Effective Economic Policy, Ministry of Economy of Uzbekistan Central Bank of Uzbekistan Ministry of Finance State Committee on Statistics
Vanuatu	Ministry of Finance and Economic Management Reserve Bank of Vanuatu Vanuatu National Statistics Office
Viet Nam	General Statistics Office Ministry of Finance State Bank of Viet Nam

INTERNATIONAL, PRIVATE, AND NONGOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS

CEIC Data Company Ltd.
Energy Information Administration
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Food and Agriculture Organization
German Agency for Technical Cooperation
International Energy Agency
International Labour Organization
International Monetary Fund
International Telecommunication Union
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Secretariat of the Pacific Community
Transparency International
United Nations Children’s Fund
United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
United Nations Industrial Development Organization
United Nations Population Division
United Nations Statistics Division
United States Department of Energy
World Bank
World Health Organization
World Resources Institute

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Guide for Users

The Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific has the following structure. Part I contains a special chapter that varies every year and deals with a special topic on policy issues, measurement issues, or development challenges. This year’s special chapter is on fostering dynamism in small and medium-sized enterprises.

Part II comprises the indicators for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The indicators are presented according to the United Nations revised MDG framework, which was expanded in January 2008 to include new targets for full and productive employment and decent work for all, access to reproductive health, access to treatment for HIV/AIDS, and protection of biodiversity, as agreed by member states at the 2005 World Summit. This year’s Key Indicators 2009 includes as many of the indicators for the new targets as possible. Tables in Part II represent an MDG target and contain indicators associated with that target.

Part III consists of 107 regional tables, which are not part of the MDG framework. To help readers identify the indicators more easily, the regional tables are grouped into seven themes: People; Economy and Output; Money, Finance, and Prices; Globalization; Infrastructure; Government and Governance; and Energy and Environment. Each theme is further divided into subtopics. Accompanying tables in Part III contain indicators related to a subtopic.

The MDGs and themes in Parts II and III start with a short commentary with charts and boxes describing progress made by countries toward selected targets and key trends of selected indicators. Accompanying statistical tables are disaggregated into developing and developed member countries of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The developing member countries are further divided into country groups aligned with those of ADB’s regional departments.

Finally, Part IV defines the indicators in the MDGs and regional tables. The publication also has a CD-ROM containing Parts I, II, III, and IV, plus individual country tables for the 48 regional members of ADB. The four parts and country tables are also available on ADB’s website at www.adb.org/Documents/Books/Key_Indicators/2009/default.asp.

Data for the MDG indicators, regional tables, and country tables are mainly obtained from two sources: ADB’s statistical partners in regional members, and international statistical agencies. Data obtained from the regional members are comparable to the extent that the regional members follow standard statistical concepts, definitions, and estimation methods recommended by the United Nations and other applicable international agencies. Nevertheless, regional members invariably develop and use their own concepts, definitions, and estimation methodologies to suit their individual circumstances; and these may not necessarily comply with the recommended international standards. Thus, even though attempts are made to present the data in a comparable and uniform format, they are subject to variations in the statistical methods used by regional members, such that full comparability of data may not be possible. These variations are reflected in the footnotes of the statistical tables.