The proportion of ASEAN citizens living below their national poverty lines declined from 13.3% in 2016 to 10.8% in 2023, putting the region on track to meet its poverty reduction target by 2030.
Deputy Minister of Economy Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib said while the statistics reflect progress, ASEAN member states must acknowledge that challenges remain. She said development gaps persist both across and within member states, adding that rural poverty, limited access to quality education and digital exclusion continue to test the region’s commitment to leaving no one behind.
“These disparities demand targeted policies, guided by robust data and inclusive engagement,” she said in her keynote address at the 15th Session of the ASEAN Community Statistical System Committee (ACSS15) held today.
Hanifah Hajar also emphasised the need to strengthen statistical literacy and public trust, saying that when citizens understand and believe in data, they become active participants in shaping the policies that affect their lives. “This is the essence of inclusive governance,” she said.
The five-day ACSS15 programme, themed ‘Advancing ASEAN Through Inclusive Data and Innovation’, was attended by Chief Statistician Datuk Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin and Director of the ASEAN Integration Monitoring Directorate, ASEAN Statistics Division (ASEANStats), ASEAN Secretariat Dr Ahmad Zafarullah Abdul Jalil.
Hanifah Hajar said ASEAN continues to demonstrate resilience in the global economy, with total trade in goods reaching about US$3.56 trillion in 2023, accounting for 8% of global trade despite the region representing only 3% of the world’s population.
“This underscores ASEAN’s growing role as a hub for production networks, investment and supply chain integration. Our strength lies not only in scale but in openness and adaptability,” she said.
She added that approximately 78% of ASEAN’s trade occurs with partners outside the region, showing its deep global connections, while intra-ASEAN trade, which makes up 22% of total trade, continues to expand as regional integration deepens.
Hanifah Hajar noted that ASEAN’s next challenge is to ensure that trade growth translates into inclusive and sustainable progress. She said this requires data-informed strategies that promote equitable market access, strengthen SME participation and support the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025.
She also praised the initiative to establish a one-stop reference centre for ASEAN-level data, describing it as a unified portal consolidating harmonised indicators, metadata, dashboards and open datasets across member states.
“This is more than a technical milestone; it is a bold step toward transparency, accessibility and regional solidarity,” she added.
