Poverty rate falls in Southeast Asia, report shows ahead of October bloc summit
Fewer people in Southeast Asia lived below the poverty line in 2023, edging the region closer to the United Nations’ target of eradicating poverty by 2030, according to the Asean Sustainable Development Goals Indicators Progress Report 2025.
The share of people in the 10 ASEAN member states living under the poverty threshold fell to 10.8% last year, down from 13.3% in 2016. The figure, however, remains slightly higher than the global average, with 9% of the world’s population still living in extreme poverty.
Asean’s chief statistician, Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin, praised the bloc’s progress.
"Over the past seven years, Asean has made commendable progress across all goals, highlighting the region's collective commitment to the 2030 Agenda,” he said in a statement.
The report said 15 targets were on track, particularly in areas such as poverty reduction, healthcare, gender equality, clean energy and institutional development. Another 32 indicators showed moderate progress, while 21 were either stagnating or regressing.
Healthcare spending was cited as a key driver in reducing poverty, rising to 12.1% of total government expenditure in 2023, from just 7.7% in 2016.
Other indicators linked to poverty presented a more sobering picture.
Deaths, missing persons and those affected by climate-related disasters surged to 6,386 per 100,000 population in 2023, more than double the 2,921 recorded in 2016. The report noted that the poor remain the most vulnerable to climate shocks.
Spending on education declined during the same period, falling to 13.9% of total government expenditure from 17.8% in 2016.
Household expenditure or income per capita among the bottom 40% of the population improved modestly to 5.8% in 2023, from 5.2% in 2016. The report cautioned that stronger gains will be needed to ensure sustained poverty reduction.
The UN has set seven targets under Sustainable Development Goal 1, including halving the proportion of men, women and children living in poverty in all its forms by 2030.
Regional progress is expected to be brought up when Asean leaders meet in Malaysia later this month. Leaders from outside the bloc, including US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, have also been invited to attend.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
