Archive:Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) - a statistical portrait - 20 years of ASEM

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Data from April and May 2016. No planned update.

Highlights

In 2015 the ASEM countries represented 62.1% of the world population.

The ASEM countries accounted for 57.6% of world GDP in 2014.

Share of world population, selected aggregates and countries, 1996 and 2015 (¹)
(%)
Source: Eurostat (demo_gind) and the United Nations Population Division (World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision)

This article is part of a Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) — A statistical portrait based on Eurostat’s publication Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) — A statistical portrait.

It presents data for a number of key indicators with an analysis of developments since 1996, in other words since the first Asia-Europe meeting. It presents data about the European Union (EU), Norway and Switzerland in comparison with 21 Asian ASEM partners. It focuses primarily on population, gross domestic product (GDP), international trade and energy consumption, while also presenting a broader range of indicators in a simpler format. It gives an insight into the position of ASEM partners in the world and developments over the last 20 years.

The use of the term European ASEM partners in this article refers to the 28 Member States of the EU, Norway and Switzerland. The use of the term Asian ASEM partners in this article refers to the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the 11 remaining ASEM partners referred to as Northeast and South Asia (NESA).

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Population

In 2015, the population of ASEM partners was around 4.6 billion, compared with a global population of 7.3 billion. The ASEM partners’ share of the world’s population fell from 65.5 % in 1996 to 62.1 % in 2015 (see Figure 1), as the population of other parts of the world grew at a faster rate, notably in parts of Africa. This relative decline in population was observed among the European ASEM partners whose share of the world’s population fell from 8.5 % to 7.1 % and also among the Asian ASEM partners whose share fell from 57.0 % to 55.0 %. The relative decline among the Asian ASEM partners was mainly concentrated in China, the Russian Federation and Japan, whereas the shares in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan grew, as did those of Indonesia and collectively all other ASEAN members.

Figure 1: Share of world population, selected aggregates and countries, 1996 and 2015 (¹)
(%)
Source: Eurostat (demo_gind) and the United Nations Population Division (World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision)

China and India had by far the largest populations, both over 1.3 billion in 2015. The EU-28’s population was 508 million, while that of Indonesia — the largest ASEAN member in population terms — was around half this size (258 million). As both China and India are included in the data for NESA, this group of countries dominates the ASEM total in population terms, as can be seen from Figure 2. NESA’s share of the ASEM total increased steadily from 74.1 % in 1996 to 74.7 % in 2015, while ASEAN’s share increased by a larger amount, from 13.0 % to 13.9 % over the same period. As a consequence, the EU-28’s share of ASEM’s total population fell progressively from 12.7 % in 1996 to 11.1 % in 2015.

Figure 2: Distribution of ASEM population, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2015 (¹)
(% of ASEM total)
Source: Eurostat (demo_gind) and the United Nations Population Division (World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision)

Figure 3 summarises the overall change in population numbers between 1996 and 2015 in each of the ASEM partners. The highest growth rates were recorded mainly by ASEAN members, most notably Singapore, although Pakistan and Luxembourg also reported a rapid expansion in their number of inhabitants. Among the Asian ASEM members, the Russian Federation was the only country to see its population decline between 1996 and 2015. This situation was repeated in nine of the EU Member States, with the largest overall contractions being recorded in the Baltic Member States as well as Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia.

Figure 3: Change in population, 1996–2015 (¹)
(%)
Source: Eurostat (demo_gind) and the United Nations Population Division (World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision)

For more information concerning the population of ASEM partners, please refer to an article on ASEM population statistics.

Population and labour market indicators

The global old-age dependency ratio increased by just less than 2 percentage points between 1996 and 2014, while in the EU this ratio increased by close to 6 percentage points. Among the Asian ASEM partners the increase was slightly higher than the global average, pulled up by relatively large increases in several countries, notably, Japan, China and the Republic of Korea. The global fertility rate fell from 2.82 to 2.48 births per woman between 1996 and 2013. During this period all ASEAN members reported a fall in their fertility rates, most notably in Lao PDR and Cambodia. Between 1996 and 2014 many of the EU Member States reported moderate increases in their fertility rates.

The EU-28’s unemployment rate was lower in 2015 than the EU-15’s rate had been in 1996 and a small majority of EU Member States for which data are available reported a similar development. By contrast, a small majority of NESA countries recorded higher unemployment rates in 2015. Among ASEAN members, the changes in unemployment rates were relatively small. The female share of the labour force increased between 1996 and the most recent year in all ASEM partners (for which data are available) except Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Mongolia.

Table 1a: Population and labour market indicators, 1996, 2013, 2014 and 2015
Source: Eurostat (demo_pjanbroad), (demo_pjanind), (demo_find), (une_rt_a) and (lfsi_emp_a), the World Bank (DataBank) and the International Labour Organisation (ILOSTAT)

Table 1b: Population and labour market indicators, 1996, 2013, 2014 and 2015
Source: Eurostat (demo_pjanbroad), (demo_pjanind), (demo_find), (une_rt_a) and (lfsi_emp_a), the World Bank (DataBank) and the International Labour Organisation (ILOSTAT)

Gross domestic product

In 2014, the total economic output of the world, as measured by GDP, was valued at EUR 58 741 billion, of which the ASEM partners accounted for 57.6 %, 1.5 percentage points less than in 1996. In 2014, the European ASEM partners contributed 25.3 % of the world’s GDP, down from 32.5 % in 1996. Among the Asian ASEM partners, China’s share of world GDP grew from 2.7 % in 1996 to 13.4 % by 2014, while that of Japan fell from 14.9 % to 5.9 % over the same period. Among the other large Asian economies shown in Figure 4, the Indian share of the world’s GDP more than doubled, while the share accounted for by the Russian Federation also increased substantially.

Figure 4: Share of world gross domestic product
(GDP), selected aggregates and countries, 1996 and 2014
(%)
Source: Eurostat (nama_10_gdp) and the United Nations Statistics Division (National Accounts Main Aggregates Database)

Between 1996 and 2014, the contribution of different groups to the total GDP of all ASEM partners shifted. In 1996, the EU-28 contributed more than half (52.3 %) of the total output, which it still did in 2006 (53.7 %). However, after the global financial and economic crisis the EU-28 share fell such that by 2011 it was less than half (43.3 %), and by 2014 it had fallen further to 41.3 %. Between 2006 and 2014, the shares of ASEAN members and NESA countries both increased, with NESA accounting for a majority (50.5 %) of the GDP generated by ASEM members in 2014.

Figure 5: Distribution of ASEM gross domestic product
(GDP), 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2014
(% of ASEM total)
Source: Eurostat (nama_10_gdp) and the United Nations Statistics Division (National Accounts Main Aggregates Database)

Figure 6 summarises the overall change in GDP between 1996 and 2014 in each of the ASEM partners; these rates of change are based on constant price data. The highest growth rates were mainly recorded by Asian ASEM partners. The size of Myanmar and China’s economies more than quintupled during this period, while the economies of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Mongolia, India, Kazakhstan and Vietnam more than tripled. Five more Asian ASEM partners — Bangladesh, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea — reported than their GDP more than doubled, as did the economies of Ireland and the Baltic Member States (despite their declining populations) within the EU. Italy and Japan recorded the lowest economic growth over this period among all ASEM partners.

Figure 6: Change in gross domestic product
(GDP)
(US dollars in 2005 prices and 2005 exchange rates), 1996–2014
(%)
Source: Eurostat (nama_10_gdp)Source: the United Nations Statistics Division (National Accounts Main Aggregates Database)

For more information concerning the economy of ASEM partners, please refer to an article on ASEM economy and finance statistics.

International trade

As well as a great deal of other information, national accounts provide statistics on international trade in goods and services. As for GDP, between 1996 and 2014 the contribution of different groups of partners to the total exports and imports of all ASEM partners shifted (see Figure 7). In 1996 and 2001, the EU-28 contributed more than three fifths of all ASEM trade flows, which it still did in 2006 for imports but not for exports. However, after the global financial and economic crisis this share fell such that by 2011 it was just over half for both flows, a position that was maintained in 2014 when the EU-28’s share of ASEM exports was 50.6 % and its share of ASEM imports was 50.7 %. The contribution of NESA countries to the total trade flows of ASEM partners increased, such that by 2014 they accounted for over one third of both exports and imports, compared with just under a quarter in 1996.

Figure 7: Distribution of ASEM exports and imports, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2014
(% of ASEM total)
Source: Eurostat (nama_10_gdp) and the United Nations Statistics Division (National Accounts Main Aggregates Database)

The level of international trade relative to overall economic activity (the ratio of traded goods and services to GDP) is shown in Figures 8 and 9. Among the four groupings of ASEM partners, the relatively small ASEAN economies reported much higher relative flows of exports and imports between 1996 and 2014, while the NESA economies collectively reported much lower trade flows relative to their overall economic activity.

Figure 8: Exports of goods and services relative to gross domestic product, 1996–2014
(% of gross domestic product)
Source: Eurostat (nama_10_gdp) and the United Nations Statistics Division (National Accounts Main Aggregates Database)

Between 1996 and 2014 the level of exports and imports relative to GDP increased in all four of the groupings of ASEM partners shown in Figures 8 and 9. For example, EU-28 exports and imports (relative to GDP) increased by a half between 1996 and 2014, while NESA imports relative to GDP more than doubled and NESA exports relative to GDP increased by about three quarters. The levels of ASEAN exports and imports (relative to GDP) were more volatile than for the other geographical groupings, most notably during the global financial and economic crisis in 2008 and 2009, when there were rapid falls for both ratios.

Figure 9: Imports of goods and services relative to gross domestic product, 1996–2014
(% of gross domestic product)
Source: Eurostat (nama_10_gdp) and the United Nations Statistics Division (National Accounts Main Aggregates Database)

Gross inland energy consumption

In 2013, the gross inland energy consumption of ASEM partners was around 7.9 billion tonnes of oil equivalent (toe), compared with a global total of 13.5 billion toe. The ASEM partners’ share of the world’s gross inland energy consumption increased from 54.0 % in 1996 to 58.4 % in 2013 (see Figure 10), despite its shares of world GDP and population falling. This relative increase in gross inland energy consumption was observed among the Asian ASEM partners, as the EU-28’s share fell from 18.3 % to 12.3 %, while that of Norway and Switzerland (combined) fell from 0.5 % to 0.4 %. Indeed, China’s share of the world’s gross inland energy consumption nearly doubled from 11.4 % to 22.2 %, while the shares of India, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia and Thailand also increased, as did collectively the other ASEAN members and NESA countries not shown in Figure 10. Like the European ASEM partners, the Russian Federation and Japan both recorded a reduction in their shares of the world’s gross inland energy consumption.

Figure 10: Share of world gross inland energy consumption, selected aggregates and countries, 1996 and 2013 (¹)
(%)
Source: Eurostat (nrg_100a) and the International Energy Agency

In 1996, the Asian ASEM partners’ share of the total gross inland energy consumption of ASEM partners was close to two thirds; this share had passed three quarters by 2011 and was approaching four fifths by 2013, as can be seen from Figure 11. NESA and ASEAN’s shares both increased during this period.

Figure 11: Distribution of ASEM gross inland energy consumption, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2013 (¹)
(% of ASEM total)
Source: Eurostat (nrg_100a) and the International Energy Agency

Japan was the only Asian ASEM partner to record a fall in gross inland energy consumption between 1996 and 2013 (see Figure 12), while reductions were registered for half of the European ASEM partners. Whereas EU-28 consumption decreased by almost 4 %, among ASEAN members there was an average increase of 75 % and among NESA countries the rate of change was higher still, rising 87 %: these increases contributed towards a 43 % global increase in energy consumption during the period under consideration. Gross inland energy consumption more than doubled between 1996 and 2013 in Cambodia, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Mongolia, Vietnam and China.

Figure 12: Change in gross inland energy consumption, 1996–2013 (¹)
(%)
Source: Eurostat (nrg_100a) and the International Energy Agency

Tourism and technology

Between 1996 and 2015, tourism intensity among the EU Member States increased at its most rapid pace in Austria, Greece and Spain, while among Asian ASEM partners the fastest increases (between 1996 and 2014) were recorded in Malaysia, Singapore and Lao PDR. Subject to data availability, the only ASEM partner which did not register an increase in tourism intensity was Bangladesh.

In 1996, only three ASEM partners reported that 1 in 10 individuals used the internet, whereas by 2014 there were only 12 ASEM partners where less than half of the population used the internet. Equally, there were more than 20 mobile phone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in just six ASEM partners in 1996, whereas the most recent data show that in most ASEM partners it had passed 100 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants.

R&D intensity is the ratio of expenditure on research and development to GDP. In 1996, seven ASEM partners reported R&D intensities of 2.00 % or higher, but by 2013 (earlier reference years for some countries) the R&D intensity of nine European ASEM partners had reached or passed 2.00 % as was the case in five Asian ASEM partners.

Table 2a: Tourism and technology, 1996, 2013, 2014 and 2015
Source: Eurostat (tour_occ_arm), (isoc_ci_ifp_iu), (isoc_tc_ac2), (isoc_tc_mcsupe) and (rd_e_gerdtot) and the International Telecommunications Union

Table 2b: Tourism and technology, 1996, 2013, 2014 and 2015
Source: Eurostat (tour_occ_arm), (isoc_ci_ifp_iu), (isoc_tc_ac2), (isoc_tc_mcsupe) and (rd_e_gerdtot) and the International Telecommunications Union

Source data for tables and graphs

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Data sources

The indicators presented are often compiled according to international — sometimes global — standards. Although most data are based on international concepts and definitions there may be certain discrepancies in the methods used to compile the data.

Almost all of the indicators presented for the EU (and its Member States), Norway and Switzerland have been drawn from Eurobase, Eurostat’s online database. In exceptional cases some indicators for the EU have been extracted from international sources.

For the Asian ASEM partners and their aggregates (ASEAN and NESA), the data presented have been extracted from a range of international sources, namely the World Bank, the United Nations Population Division and the United Nations Statistics Division.

For many of the indicators, multiple international statistical sources are available, each with their own policies and practices concerning data management (for example, concerning data validation, the correction of errors, the estimation of missing data, and the frequency of updating). In general, attempts have been made to use only one source for each indicator in order to provide a comparable analysis between the partners.

Aggregates for ASEM, the European ASEM partners and the Asian ASEM partners have been compiled from the data for individual partners as indicated above. As such, they may combine data from Eurostat and international sources.

Context

The figures in this article provide an overview of the share of the world’s population, gross domestic product (GDP) and energy consumption that is concentrated in ASEM partners, as well as the development of population, GDP and international trade since 1996, when the first Asia-Europe meeting was held. Two tables provide further information on developments since 1996 for a wider range of indicators.