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The Asia–Pacific (APAC) is the region of the world adjoining the western Pacific Ocean. The region's precise boundaries vary depending on context, but countries and territories in Australasia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia are often included. In a wider context, Central Asia, North Asia, the Pacific Islands, South Asia, West Asia (including the Arabian Peninsula and the Levant), and even Pacific-adjoining countries in the Americas can be included. For example, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) includes five economies (Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and the United States) in the New World (more standardly referred to as the Western Hemisphere). The term has become popular since the late 1980s in commerce, finance, and politics. Despite the heterogeneity of the regions' economies, most individual nations within the zone are emerging markets experiencing significant growth. Sometimes, the notion of "Asia–Pacific excluding Japan" (APEJ) is considered useful.^[1]^[2]

Related regions

Central and Eastern Asia (CEA)
Eastern Asia – some companies separate their Eastern Asian business from the rest of Asia, and refer to the Oriental region separately from the Western/Central Asia region
Pacific Asia - specifically the Pacific-bordering regions of Asia
Oceania
South-eastern Asia
Southern Asia
Western Asia

List of countries and territories by subregion

In accordance with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Asia–Pacific region includes a total of 51 countries and seven territories grouped into five subregions:^[3]

East and North East Asia (ENEA)
- China, People's Republic of
  - Hong Kong, China
  - Macao, China
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of (North Korea)
- Japan
- Mongolia
- Korea, Republic of (South Korea)
- China, Republic of (Taiwan)

North and Central Asia (NCA)

South and South West Asia (SSWA)

South East Asia (SEA) – ASEAN
- Brunei Darussalam
- Cambodia
- Indonesia
- Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos)
- Malaysia
- Myanmar (Burma)
- Philippines
- Singapore
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste (East Timor)
- Viet Nam (Vietnam)

The Pacific (PACIFIC)
- American Samoa (United States)
- Australia
- Bougainville
- Cook Islands
- Fiji
- French Polynesia (France)
- Guam (United States)
- Kiribati
- Marshall Islands
- Micronesia, Federated States of
- Nauru
- New Caledonia (France)
- New Zealand
- Niue
- Northern Mariana Islands (United States)
- Palau
- Papua New Guinea
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Vanuatu

In a wider context, the following countries and territories can also be included in the Asia–Pacific region:

Asia
- Bahrain
- British Indian Ocean Territory (United Kingdom)
- Cyprus
- Iraq
- Israel
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Oman
- Palestine
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Syria
- United Arab Emirates
- Yemen

North America
- Canada
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- United States

Oceania
- Baker Island (United States)
- Christmas Island (Australia)
- Clipperton Island (France)
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australia)
- Coral Sea Islands (Australia)
- Ashmore and Cartier Islands (Australia)
- Heard Island and McDonald Islands (Australia)
- Howland Island (United States)
- Jarvis Island (United States)
- Johnston Atoll (United States)
- Kingman Reef (United States)
- Midway Atoll (United States)
- Norfolk Island (Australia)
- Palmyra Atoll (United States)
- Pitcairn Islands (United Kingdom)
- Tokelau (New Zealand)
- Torres Strait Islands (Australia)
- Wake Island (United States)
- Wallis and Futuna (France)
- Chuuk State (Micronesia)
- Easter Island (Chile)
- Isla Salas y Gómez (Chile)

South America
- Chile
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Peru

Economic overview

The World Bank's April 2024 update indicates that the growth rate for the Asia-Pacific region, excluding China, is expected to slightly increase to 4.6% in 2024, up from 4.4% in 2023. This underscores a diverse economic resilience against global pressures. Meanwhile, global trade growth, which was minimal at 0.2% in 2023, is projected to improve to 2.3% in 2024, crucial for the region's export-oriented economies. However, private investment remains below pre-pandemic levels due to higher debt levels and rising interest rates, signaling a cautious investment climate. The region faces significant challenges from both external factors, such as high core inflation and modest global trade recovery, and domestic issues like increased debt and political uncertainties, potentially hindering economic growth. Additionally, a hypothetical 1% decline in GDP growth in the US or China could reduce GDP growth in other developing Asia-Pacific economies by approximately 0.5% and 0.3%, respectively. The increase in trade-distorting measures, which have tripled since 2019 among G-20 countries, reflects a trend towards protective industrial policies, although other East Asia-Pacific countries, except for China and Indonesia, have been less involved in these measures.^[4]^[5]

References

^ "Digital creativity and innovation lacking in kids in APAC: report". May 10, 2019. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^ Pan, Hui, ed. (October 2004). "Vonage and Cisco to sell phone equipment". VoIP Monthly Newsletter. 2 (10). Information Gatekeepers Inc: 3. Retrieved 2011-12-15. APEJ (Asia-Pacific Excluding Japan) and EEMEA (Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa) will grow their combined share of this figure from 17 percent to 22 percent during the same period, as North America's share adjusts from 53 percent to 46 percent.
^ "List of countries in the Asia-Pacific region and subregions". www.unescap.org. Archived from the original on 2023-04-02. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
^ "Firm Foundations of Growth: East Asia and Pacific Economic Update, April 2024". World Bank. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
^ World Bank. (2024). Firm Foundations of Growth: East Asia and the Pacific Economic Update April 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-2102-8