The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Tuesday the number of people living in extreme poverty in Asia and the Pacific declined from 1.1 billion in 2002 to 264 million in 2015.
The Manila-based multilateral lender’s annual statistical report, titled “Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific,” said the region’s share of global gross domestic product (in current US dollars), surpassed one third in 2018 while the region’s role in global value production chains
and as a destination for higher-value products was expanding.
Asia generated 23 percent of the income from the production of world exports in 2000. The figure increased to 30.2 percent by 2018.
“Key indicators 2019 show that the Asia and Pacific region is increasing its strong contribution to the global economy and to the pursuit of the [sustainable development goals],” said ADB Chief Economist Yasuyuki Sawada.
The ADB released the 50th edition of its annual statistical report, including a special supplement on the use of computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI), or the collection of survey data using handheld digital devices including tablets and smartphones.
A study on the use of CAPI techniques was conducted in the Laos, Sri Lanka and Vietnam and found they could reduce the total number of errors in data collection and are more cost-effective for large-scale surveys. (Melo Acuña)