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Sub-region of Asia · Country Index 2026

South-eastern Asia

How are the countries of South-eastern Asia doing?

Half of South-eastern Asia’s 11 placed countries sit at or above 95th of 178 in the Country Index 2026, which places the region 13th of 21 sub-regions. Singapore is placed highest, 26th; Myanmar lowest, 153rd. 1 reaches the world’s top fifth.

South-eastern AsiaUN M49 035

South-eastern Asia, shown in red on a map of the world

95th

median position of 178 · 13th of 21 sub-regions

Asia →median 91st

01Who is in it

The countries of South-eastern Asia

Alphabetical, with each country’s own banner photograph. The position is its place in the whole world ranking, never within the region.

02The region

About South-eastern Asia

The ASEAN belt, from Myanmar through the archipelagos to Timor-Leste.

South-eastern Asia lies between India, China and Australia. It is made up of a mainland — Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and western Malaysia — and the islands of Indonesia, the Philippines and their neighbours. Rivers such as the Mekong and the Irrawaddy water the mainland, and the islands hold active volcanoes and tropical rainforest.

Its place on the sea routes between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific made it a meeting point of trade, religions and empires, from Angkor and Srivijaya to the European colonies that followed. Thailand was the only country in the region never colonised. Most of its states became independent in the twentieth century, and Timor-Leste in 2002.

03Where

South-eastern Asia on the map

Each member shaded by its position in the Country Index 2026, darkest for the best placed; the countries across its land borders in grey. Hover a country for its position, or select it to open its profile.

Country Index position: 1st178thMember, not placedAcross the border, another regionNot a country this site tracks

04Country Index 2026

Where South-eastern Asia’s countries place

Best placed first. Every position is a place in the whole world ranking of 178, never a second list within the region; “=” marks a position shared with another country. Hover the ⓘ for where a country would sit if any one key statistic were dropped.

The full Country Index 2026
South-eastern Asia’s 11 placed countries by their Country Index 2026 position, best placed first.
In regionCountryIn the world1st178th
1Singapore26 / 178between 19th and 29th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
2Thailand54 / 178between 51st and 63rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
3Malaysia57 / 178between 54th and 67th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
4Vietnam71 / 178between 66th and 82nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
5Brunei82 / 178between 70th and 89th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
6Indonesia95 / 178between 89th and 99th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
6Philippines95 / 178between 88th and 103rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
8Timor-Leste113 / 178between 105th and 118th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
9Laos115 / 178between 112th and 126th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
10Cambodia124 / 178between 120th and 130th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
11Myanmar153 / 178between 150th and 160th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics

South-eastern Asia among the 21 sub-regions with a median

13th of 21. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

  1. Northern Europe6thPlaced countries run from Denmark 2nd to Latvia 25th.
  2. Western Europe10thPlaced countries run from Switzerland 1st to France 19th.
  3. Australia and New Zealand17thPlaced countries run from New Zealand 17th to Australia 24th.
  4. Northern America17thPlaced countries run from Canada 17th to United States 37th.
  5. Eastern Asia23rdPlaced countries run from South Korea 14th to Mongolia 73rd.
  6. Southern Europe32ndPlaced countries run from Slovenia 12th to Bosnia and Herzegovina 63rd.
  7. Eastern Europe39thPlaced countries run from Czechia 11th to Russia 68th.
  8. Polynesia70thPlaced countries run from Samoa 70th to Tonga 85th.
  9. South America74thPlaced countries run from Uruguay 34th to Venezuela 137th.
  10. Caribbean78thPlaced countries run from Barbados 63rd to Haiti 169th.
  11. Central America81stPlaced countries run from Costa Rica 40th to Nicaragua 134th.
  12. Western Asia93rdPlaced countries run from Cyprus 35th to Yemen 176th.
  13. South-eastern Asia95thPlaced countries run from Singapore 26th to Myanmar 153rd.
  14. Central Asia100thPlaced countries run from Kazakhstan 60th to Turkmenistan 148th.
  15. Southern Asia100thPlaced countries run from Bhutan 44th to Afghanistan 172nd.
  16. Melanesia106thPlaced countries run from Fiji 62nd to Papua New Guinea 138th.
  17. Southern Africa116thPlaced countries run from South Africa 102nd to Eswatini 140th.
  18. Northern Africa127thPlaced countries run from Tunisia 107th to Libya 174th.
  19. Eastern Africa143rdPlaced countries run from Mauritius 46th to Somalia 177th.
  20. Western Africa144thPlaced countries run from Cabo Verde 74th to Guinea-Bissau 168th.
  21. Middle Africa161stPlaced countries run from São Tomé and Príncipe 104th to Chad 175th.
  22. Micronesia—
  23. Asia, the whole continent91st
  24. The world’s midpoint88th
1st178thmedian

The square is each region’s median position; the grey bar runs from its best-placed to its lowest-placed country. Hover a row for their names.

05By subject

Topic by topic

Every country’s position on each topic, its shade darker the higher it sits in that topic’s field; select a cell for the country’s page on the topic. Strongest for South-eastern Asia: Mobility & Trade, 2nd of 21 sub-regions. Weakest: Risk & Resilience, 18th of 22.

All topics
South-eastern Asia: each country’s position on each topic, with the region’s median and its place among sub-regions.
Mobility & TradeGovernance & InstitutionsWork & LabourDigital & TechnologyEnvironment & SustainabilityFood & AgricultureHealth & WellbeingPeace & SecurityGender & EqualityDemocracy & Civil LibertiesDevelopment & Human CapitalPoverty & InequalityEconomy & InnovationEnergyEducation & KnowledgeRisk & ResilienceMoney & Public FinancePeople & Population
Singapore1 of 14712 of 19417 of 1826 of 198133 of 1818 of 17530 of 20033 of 177105 of 18389 of 19812 of 196No standing24 of 176108 of 19385 of 1718 of 192No standingNo standing
Thailand12 of 14768 of 19437 of 18241 of 198118 of 18188 of 17562 of 200132 of 17794 of 183112 of 19871 of 19628 of 15938 of 176132 of 19382 of 171142 of 192No standingNo standing
Malaysia5 of 14740 of 19463 of 18251 of 198121 of 181127 of 17596 of 20062 of 177132 of 18393 of 19891 of 19660 of 15940 of 176110 of 193105 of 17195 of 192No standingNo standing
Vietnam17 of 147112 of 19435 of 18278 of 198106 of 18149 of 175100 of 20071 of 17778 of 183159 of 198105 of 19672 of 15973 of 17691 of 19368 of 171158 of 192No standingNo standing
Brunei137 of 14749 of 19472 of 182132 of 198122 of 18157 of 17582 of 20076 of 17794 of 18398 of 19888 of 196No standing44 of 176166 of 193No standing25 of 192No standingNo standing
Indonesia43 of 14778 of 19434 of 18244 of 19895 of 18195 of 17599 of 20098 of 177112 of 183109 of 198118 of 19695 of 159110 of 176151 of 193106 of 171148 of 192No standingNo standing
Philippines14 of 14779 of 19458 of 18254 of 19877 of 18164 of 175136 of 200112 of 17793 of 183124 of 198124 of 196106 of 159107 of 176145 of 19386 of 171156 of 192No standingNo standing
Timor-LesteNo standing114 of 19490 of 182173 of 19853 of 181102 of 175177 of 20030 of 17749 of 18382 of 198149 of 19676 of 159167 of 176No standing98 of 171141 of 192No standingNo standing
LaosNo standing134 of 19452 of 182143 of 19852 of 18198 of 175144 of 20082 of 17779 of 183180 of 198147 of 196121 of 159138 of 17634 of 193140 of 17188 of 192No standingNo standing
Cambodia100 of 147166 of 19426 of 182127 of 19835 of 18184 of 175128 of 200135 of 17792 of 183167 of 198146 of 196No standing138 of 176122 of 193127 of 171135 of 192No standingNo standing
Myanmar86 of 147173 of 194109 of 182154 of 19838 of 181107 of 175153 of 200175 of 177138 of 183193 of 198162 of 19664 of 159155 of 176112 of 193128 of 171183 of 192No standingNo standing
Region median17th of 14779th of 19452nd of 18278th of 19895th of 18188th of 175100th of 20082nd of 17794th of 183112th of 198118th of 19672nd of 159107th of 176112th of 19398th of 171141st of 192——
Among sub-regions2nd of 218th of 228th of 2110th of 2210th of 2112th of 2112th of 2212th of 2013th of 2114th of 2214th of 2214th of 2115th of 2116th of 2217th of 2118th of 22——

Columns run from the topic where South-eastern Asia places best among sub-regions to the one where it places lowest. A region’s median on a topic needs at least two members with a standing; a hatched cell has no standing.

06In numbers

South-eastern Asia in 6 numbers

Each line is every country in the world at its published value; South-eastern Asia’s countries are the red ticks, and the dashed line is the world median. There is no regional average: a region has countries, not a life expectancy of its own.

All statistics

  • Population

    people · log scale

    UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · 222 countries · no better end

    BruneiIndonesia496world median 6,541,4131,438,069,596

  • Land area

    km²

    FAO · 2024 · 221 countries · no better end

    SingaporeIndonesia0.4world median 87,58916,376,870

  • GDP per person

    international $, PPP · log scale

    World Bank Group · 2025 · 185 countries · higher is better

    Timor-LesteSingapore1,067world median 17,265139,593

  • Life expectancy

    years at birth

    UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · 222 countries · higher is better

    MyanmarSingapore54.46world median 74.6386.37

  • Human development

    HDI, 0–1

    UNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · 193 countries · higher is better

    CambodiaSingapore0.388world median 0.7620.972

  • Unemployment

    % of the labour force

    ILO · 2025 · 182 countries · lower is better

    CambodiaBrunei0.13world median 5.08434.2
Every value for South-eastern Asia’s countries
CountryPopulation 2023Land area 2024GDP per person 2025Life expectancy 2023Human development 2023Unemployment 2025
Brunei458,949rank 1745,270rank 16778,985rank 975.33rank 1040.837rank 605.277rank 87
Cambodia17,423,880rank 73176,520rank 897,300rank 13670.67rank 1510.606rank 1510.263rank 181
Indonesia281,190,067rank 41,892,410rank 1415,091rank 10371.15rank 1490.728rank 1133.237rank 135
Laos7,664,993rank 103230,800rank 808,873rank 12668.96rank 1640.617rank 1471.187rank 175
Malaysia35,126,298rank 44328,550rank 6635,461rank 5576.66rank 880.819rank 673.764rank 119
Myanmar54,133,798rank 27652,670rank 395,137rank 14866.89rank 1820.609rank 1503.047rank 140
Philippines114,891,199rank 13298,170rank 7210,748rank 12069.83rank 1580.72rank 1172.235rank 162
Singapore5,789,090rank 115724.8rank 182139,593rank 183.74rank 100.946rank 132.818rank 150
Thailand71,702,435rank 20510,890rank 5022,432rank 7676.41rank 900.798rank 760.781rank 179
Timor-Leste1,384,286rank 15614,870rank 1564,110rank 15667.69rank 1720.634rank 1421.592rank 169
Vietnam100,352,192rank 16313,429rank 6815,457rank 10274.59rank 1120.766rank 931.523rank 172

07In records

South-eastern Asia in records

The member at the extreme of each statistic, read from its newest edition. Where two members share the top, no record is named.

08Latest editions

Who rose and fell in the published ranks

The moves of South-eastern Asia’s countries between each report’s two newest editions, in the publisher’s own ranks. A report whose field changed by more than 5% is left out.

Ranks as published by UNDP Human Development Report Office in the Human Development Index: reference years 2022 (192 countries ranked) → 2023 (193 ranked), both from its 2025 report.

Improved most

rank before → after
  1. Brunei63 → 60+3
  2. Philippines120 → 117+3
  3. Thailand78 → 76+2

Declined most

rank before → after
  1. Vietnam91 → 93−2
  2. Myanmar149 → 150−1
Every country in the Human Development Index

09In context

Across the border

The countries outside South-eastern Asia that share a land border with one of its members, with their world positions, and the sub-regions they belong to. Land borders only, as drawn on the map.

Eastern Asia

The neighbouring sub-regions

10Places

Landmarks of South-eastern Asia

Two places from each member with a gallery on its profile.

  • Borobudur temple view from northwest plateau, Central Java, Indonesia.

    Borobudur

    Ninth-century Mahayana Buddhist temple in Central Java, the largest Buddhist temple in the world.

    Photo: Gunawan Kartapranata · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • Mount Bromo

    Mount Bromo

    Active volcano within the Tengger caldera in East Java.

    Photo: Hugo van den Bos · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • Banaue Rice Terraces

    Banaue Rice Terraces

    Rice terraces carved into the mountains of Ifugao by its indigenous people.

    Photo: User:Ori~ · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • Chocolate Hills, Bohol, Philippines

    Chocolate Hills

    Geological formation of grass-covered limestone hills on the island of Bohol.

    Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

11Keep reading

Explore further

All regions

The rest of Asia

12Method

Questions, method and sources

Which countries are in South-eastern Asia?

11 countries and territories: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. Membership follows the United Nations’ M49 classification.

Which country in South-eastern Asia is placed highest?

Singapore, placed 26th of 178 in the Country Index 2026. Myanmar is placed lowest, 153rd. 11 of the region’s 11 countries and territories are placed; the rest hold standings on too few topics.

How does South-eastern Asia compare with other regions?

Half of its 11 placed countries sit at or above 95th of 178, which places it 13th of 21 sub-regions. The median across Asia is 91st. The middle of the whole field is 88th. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

How many people live in South-eastern Asia?

690,117,187 in 2023, the sum of the UN DESA Population Division’s figures for its 11 countries and territories.

What is the largest country in South-eastern Asia?

By land area, Indonesia: 1,892,410 square kilometres (2024). By population, Indonesia: 281,190,067 people (2023).

How a region’s figure is made
  1. Membership. Countries belong to regions by the United Nations’ M49 classification; each country declares its sub-region, and a continent is the sum of its sub-regions.
  2. Positions. Each country’s position is its Country Index 2026 result, unchanged. This page slices the world ranking by place; it does not re-rank anyone.
  3. The median. A region’s figure is the median of its placed countries’ positions: half sit at or above it, half below. With an even number of placed countries it takes the better of the two middle positions, since there is no country at a half place. Countries the index does not place are named, never counted in.
  4. A place among peers. Continents are compared with continents and sub-regions with sub-regions, never a part with the whole that contains it; regions sharing a median share a place. Nothing is weighted by population or size, and population and land area are the only figures ever added up.

Where the regions come from

United Nations Statistics Division, Standard country or area codes for statistical use (M49). M49’s middle level (Sub-Saharan Africa; Latin America and the Caribbean) is left out, so every sub-region sits directly under its continent. Kosovo, Northern Cyprus and Somaliland are not in M49 and are placed by geography.

Where the positions come from

Every position is a country’s result in the Country Index 2026 or one of its topics, unchanged. The population and land-area figures are the UN DESA Population Division’s and the FAO’s, added up and shown with their year; every other statistic names its publisher beside its numbers.

Photographs

Each country’s own banner from its profile: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). South-eastern Asia: countries, population and rankings, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/regions/south-eastern-asia

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