TOKYO -- The Asian Productivity Organization (APO) has released the 18th edition of the APO Productivity Databook, which provides harmonized analyses of Asia’s economic growth and productivity from 1970 to 2023, along with projections to 2035. The 2025 edition covers 33 Asian economies—the 21 APO members and 12 nonmember Asian economies—and references major advanced economies for comparison, including Australia, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Afghanistan and the Maldives are newly incorporated this year.

Built on the APO Productivity Database (APO-PDB) 2025, this edition aligns level comparisons with the 2021 International Comparison Program purchasing power parity benchmark and integrates the Asia Quality-adjusted Labor Input Database (AQALI) and the Asia Natural Resources Database (ANRD) to enhance the measurement of labor quality and land or natural-resource assets. Together, these enhancements strengthen the evidence base regarding the contributions of capital, labor, and total factor productivity (TFP) to Asia’s growth. The Databook also presents regional productivity accounts for Asia27 (APO21 plus Afghanistan, Bhutan, Brunei, China, the Maldives, and Myanmar), ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), East Asia, and SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation), enabling consistent regional comparisons.

Highlights of the APO Productivity Databook 2025

· Over 50 years of productivity trends and a forward look to 2035: Tracks Asia’s economic transformation from 1970 to 2023, with projections to 2035.
· Expanded regional coverage with the first-time inclusion of Afghanistan and the Maldives: Presents regional productivity accounts for Asia27, ASEAN, East Asia, and SAARC.
· Deeper measurement with labor quality and natural resources: Incorporates the AQALI 2025 and the ANRD 2025 to enhance estimates of TFP in the APO-PDB 2025.
· Integrated demand and supply analysis with transparent methods: Offers decompositions of labor productivity (per worker and per hour), demand and industry structure, and real income shifts, supported by consistent methods and open documentation.