Data and Statistics

Proportion of Seats Held by Women in National Parliaments

Sustainable development and societies in general can be strengthened by providing women and girls with equal access to education, health care, decent work, and representation in political and economic decision-making processes. Unfortunately, no economy in Asia and the Pacific was even remotely close to 50% representation of women in their national parliaments in 2018. In fact, only 3 of the 45 economies with available data had female parliamentary representation exceeding 30%: New Zealand (38.3%), Nepal (32.7%), and Timor-Leste (32.3%). A threshold of 15% for women’s representation was surpassed in only 25 of the 45 economies reporting in 2018, while 13 economies failed to achieve a 10% threshold.

Source: Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2019

Adoption and Implementation of National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategies in Line with the Sendai Framework

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2015–2030 recognizes the state (central government) as having primary responsibility for reducing disaster risk, while also sharing this responsibility with local governments, the private sector, and other stakeholders. The framework can help governments substantially reduce disaster risk and minimize the loss of lives, livelihoods, and health as may be experienced as a result of natural disasters.

3 of the 15 economies achieved a score of 1.0 in 2018, indicating comprehensive alignment with the framework. Another 8 economies had a score of 0.5 or higher, reflecting at least a moderate alignment with the framework.

Source: Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2019

Proportion of Urban Population Living in Slums

Lack of access to basic services is a common constraint in informal settlements and slums, contributing to the persistence of poverty and posing a challenge for sustainable and inclusive urbanization. The UN estimates that about one-quarter of all urban residents, or 1 billion people, live in slums, with an additional 600 million living in inadequate housing.

Among the 13 reporting economies, the largest reductions in the percentage of the urban population living in slums over the review period were in the Lao PDR (58.5 percentage points), Viet Nam (34.4 percentage points), and Cambodia (31.2 percentage points), with an increase of 11.0 percentage points noted in Myanmar.

Source: Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2019

Time Required to Start a Business in Asia and the Pacific

Reducing the amount of time required to start a business can act as an incentive to entrepreneurial activity. Shorter start-up times are associated with simplified registration procedures and reduced opportunities for bribes (World Bank 2019).

The largest reductions from 2015 to 2018 were achieved in Timor-Leste (154 days), Brunei Darussalam (116 days), and Azerbaijan (109.5 days). The three most populous economies of the region achieved significant reductions in the number of days required to start a business between 2013 and 2018 for which data are available—the People's Republic of China (from 32.4 to 8.6 days), India (from 32.7 to 16.5 days), and Indonesia (from 75.5 to 19.6 days).

Source: Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2019