## Chart of the Week: The Digital Divide in Asia

_IMF Blog, September 25, 2018_

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Chart of the Week: The Digital Divide in Asia](https://www.imf.org/en/blogs/articles/2018/09/25/chart-of-the-week-the-digital-divide-in-asia-2)

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## Bibliographic details
- Authors: The Editors
- Published: September 25, 2018

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### Overview
- The countries of Southeast Asia are young and economically significant: more than half of its 643 million people are under 30, and together they live in an economy of $2.8 trillion.
- Despite demographic advantages and growing regional integration through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a digital divide persists across the region.
- As a regional bloc, ASEAN is the fifth largest economy in the world.

### Key statistics and patterns of digital access
- More than 70 percent of people in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao P.D.R., and Myanmar remain offline and can’t fully participate in the digital economy.
- Caption-specific statistic: about 70 percent of the country does not have internet access (Cambodia).
- The Internet has reached most people in Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, and Singapore.
- High-speed broadband is even more scarce across the region.
- ASEAN trails China, Japan, and Korea in high-speed broadband access; Singapore is the sole exception.

### Demand and opportunity
- Hundreds of millions of young people in the region are eager to join the digital revolution.
- With hundreds of millions of young people eager to join the digital revolution, there’s no better time to close the digital divide.

### Five key priorities to grow the digital economy
- Internet connectivity must be universal and affordable
- The business climate must encourage competition, which spurs innovation
- Education systems must adapt workers’ skills to new demands for a digital future
- Countries need stronger safety nets to protect those displaced by automation
- Southeast nations should improve financial inclusion through technology and adapt their regulatory frameworks to manage the risks associated with fintech

*Source: Chart of the Week: The Digital Divide in Asia (The Editors, September 25, 2018).*

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## References

- [https://www.imf.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/BLOG-1024x600-girl-on-cellphone-cambodia-Samrang-pring-reuters-newscom-rtrlsix834732.jpg](https://www.imf.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/BLOG-1024x600-girl-on-cellphone-cambodia-Samrang-pring-reuters-newscom-rtrlsix834732.jpg)
- [Finance and Development](https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/index.htm)
- [digital divide](https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2018/09/asean-digital-economy-infographic-feng.htm)
- [https://www.imf.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/eng-september-19-fanddchart-4.png](https://www.imf.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/eng-september-19-fanddchart-4.png)
- [Chart of the Week: Invest in Robots and People in Asia](https://blogs.imf.org/2018/08/29/chart-of-the-week-invest-in-robots-and-people-in-asia/)
- [Asia Needs More Access to Financial Services to Grow](https://blogs.imf.org/2018/09/18/asia-needs-more-access-to-financial-services-to-grow/)
- [Chart of the Week: Japan’s Robots](https://blogs.imf.org/2018/06/12/chart-of-the-week-japans-robots/)

_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/blogs/articles/2018/09/25/chart-of-the-week-the-digital-divide-in-asia-2_