Asia-Pacific: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 19:25, 9 March 2026

Asia and the Pacific region, according to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

The Asia-Pacific (APAC), also known as the Indo-Pacific, is a major geopolitical and economic region of the world adjoining the western Pacific Ocean and comprising the part of the Old World located outside the EMEA region. The region's precise boundaries vary depending on context, but countries and territories in the Far East (East Asia, North Asia, and Southeast Asia) and Oceania are often included while countries in South Asia are also sometimes included. In a wider context, even countries and territories in Central Asia, West Asia and the Pacific-adjoining countries in the Americas can be included. For example, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) includes five economies (Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and the United States) in the New World (more standardly referred to as the Western Hemisphere). The term has become popular since the late 1980s in commerce, finance, and politics. Despite the heterogeneity of the regions' economies, most individual nations within the zone are emerging markets experiencing significant growth. Sometimes, the notion of "Asia-Pacific excluding Japan" (APEJ) is considered useful.^[1]^[2]

Related regions[edit | edit source]

Central and Eastern Asia (CEA)
Eastern Asia – some companies separate their Eastern Asian business from the rest of Asia, and refer to the Oriental region separately from the Western/Central Asia region
Northern Asia
Oceania
Pacific Asia – specifically the Pacific-bordering regions of Asia
South-eastern Asia
Southern Asia
Western Asia

List of countries and territories by subregion[edit | edit source]

In accordance with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Asia-Pacific region comprises a total of 51 countries and seven territories grouped into five subregions, including five transregional countries which can also be considered parts of the EMEA region.^[3]

Traditional definition[edit | edit source]

East and North East Asia (ENEA)
- China (Mainland)
- Hong Kong, China
- Japan
- Template:Country data Korea, Democratic People's Republic of (North Korea)
- Template:Country data Korea, Republic of (South Korea)
- Template:Country data Macao, China
- Mongolia

North and Central Asia (NCA)
- Armenia^{[note 1]}
- Azerbaijan^{[note 1]}
- Georgia^{[note 1]}
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Russian Federation
- Tajikistan
- Turkmenistan
- Uzbekistan

South and South West Asia (SSWA)
- File:Flag of Afghanistan.svg Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- India
- Template:Country data Iran (Islamic Republic of)^{[note 1]}
- Maldives
- Nepal
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
- Template:Country data Türkiye (Turkey)^{[note 1]}

South East Asia (SEA)

The Pacific (PACIFIC)

Additional countries and territories by continent[edit | edit source]

In a wider context, the Asia-Pacific region can also comprise the following 31 countries and 12 territories, including two transregional countries which can be considered parts of the EMEA region too.

Asia
- Template:Country data Abkhazia^{[note 1]}
- Template:Country data Akrotiri and Dhekelia (United Kingdom)
- Bahrain
- China, Republic of (Taiwan)
- Cyprus
- Iraq
- Israel
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Template:Country data Northern Cyprus
- Oman
- Palestine
  - Template:Country data Gaza Strip
  - Template:Country data West Bank
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Template:Country data South Ossetia (Alania)^{[note 1]}
- File:Flag of Syria.svg Syria
- United Arab Emirates
- Yemen

North America

Oceania

South America
- Chile
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Peru

Economic overview[edit | edit source]

The World Bank's April 2024 update indicates that the growth rate for the Asia-Pacific region, excluding China, is expected to slightly increase to 4.6% in 2024, up from 4.4% in 2023. This underscores a diverse economic resilience against global pressures. Meanwhile, global trade growth, which was minimal at 0.2% in 2023, is projected to improve to 2.3% in 2024, crucial for the region's export-oriented economies. However, private investment remains below pre-pandemic levels due to higher debt levels and rising interest rates, signaling a cautious investment climate. The region faces significant challenges from both external factors, such as high core inflation and modest global trade recovery, and domestic issues like increased debt and political uncertainties, potentially hindering economic growth. Additionally, a hypothetical 1% decline in GDP growth in the US or China could reduce GDP growth in other developing Asia-Pacific economies by approximately 0.5% and 0.3%, respectively. The increase in trade-distorting measures, which have tripled since 2019 among G-20 countries, reflects a trend towards protective industrial policies, although other eastern Asia-Pacific countries, except for China and Indonesia, have been less involved in these measures.^[4]^[5]

Notes[edit | edit source]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 ^1.5 ^1.6 Transregional country, it can also be included in the EMEA region.

References[edit | edit source]

↑ "Digital creativity and innovation lacking in kids in APAC: report". 10 May 2019. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
↑ Pan, Hui, ed. (October 2004). "Vonage and Cisco to sell phone equipment". VoIP Monthly Newsletter. 2 (10). Information Gatekeepers Inc: 3. Retrieved 15 December 2011. APEJ (Asia-Pacific Excluding Japan) and EEMEA (Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa) will grow their combined share of this figure from 17 percent to 22 percent during the same period, as North America's share adjusts from 53 percent to 46 percent.
↑ "List of countries in the Asia-Pacific region and subregions". www.unescap.org. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
↑ "Firm Foundations of Growth: East Asia and Pacific Economic Update, April 2024". World Bank. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
↑ World Bank. (2024). Firm Foundations of Growth: East Asia and the Pacific Economic Update April 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-2102-8

External links[edit | edit source]

APEC official website
The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
Asia Pacific Indigenous Youth Network (APIYN)
BBC Asia-Pacific Archived 2010-05-07 at the Wayback Machine

Template:Oceania Template:Regions of Asia Template:Regions of Oceania Template:Regions of the world Template:Continents of the world

[Transregional_country-4] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 ^1.5 ^1.6 Transregional country, it can also be included in the EMEA region.

[1] "Digital creativity and innovation lacking in kids in APAC: report". 10 May 2019. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.

[2] Pan, Hui, ed. (October 2004). "Vonage and Cisco to sell phone equipment". VoIP Monthly Newsletter. 2 (10). Information Gatekeepers Inc: 3. Retrieved 15 December 2011. APEJ (Asia-Pacific Excluding Japan) and EEMEA (Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa) will grow their combined share of this figure from 17 percent to 22 percent during the same period, as North America's share adjusts from 53 percent to 46 percent.

[3] "List of countries in the Asia-Pacific region and subregions". www.unescap.org. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.

[5] "Firm Foundations of Growth: East Asia and Pacific Economic Update, April 2024". World Bank. Retrieved 11 April 2024.

[6] World Bank. (2024). Firm Foundations of Growth: East Asia and the Pacific Economic Update April 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-2102-8

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