THE proportion of ASEAN’s population living below national poverty lines declined to 10.8% in 2023 from 13.3% in 2016, placing the region firmly on track to meet its 2025 sustainable development goals, according to the ASEAN SDG Indicator Progress Report 2025.
Launched virtually by ASEANStats in collaboration with Malaysia’s Department of Statistics (DOSM), the report offers a regional assessment of progress and implementation challenges relating to the 2030 Agenda.
It also serves as a key policy reference, highlighting data gaps and strategic directions for monitoring SDG advancement in Southeast Asia.
“The report was developed through close cooperation between the National Statistics Offices of each ASEAN Member State, which compiled data from a range of ministries, departments and agencies to present a comprehensive overview from 2016 to 2023,” Bernam cited Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin, Chief Statistician and Chair of the 15th ASEAN Community Statistical System (ACSS15) saying.
He noted that the report, produced under the ASEAN Working Group on SDG Indicators, “reflects strong collaboration between ASEAN Member States, with technical support from the ASEAN Secretariat Statistics Division.”
“This initiative underscores Malaysia’s commitment as the lead country for ACSS 2025 under the ASEAN Economic Community, raising public awareness of the vital role of statistics in both national and regional development,” he added.
Among the report’s key findings is notable progress in healthcare, where the number of physicians rose from 6.7 to 8 per 10,000 people. The number of nurses and midwives increased from 26.2 to 29.4, dentists from 1.1 to 1.4, and pharmacists from 2.2 to 2.9 per 10,000 population.
Digital infrastructure and connectivity also saw marked improvements. Electricity access increased from 88.5% to 95.7% of the population. In education, electricity coverage rose to 85.3% in primary schools, 89.3% in lower secondary, and reached 98.0% in upper secondary schools.
Fixed broadband subscriptions more than doubled, rising from 5.7 to 11.8 per 100 inhabitants, while internet usage soared from 50.6% to 82%.
Youth unemployment declined from 11.2% to 8.5%, while adult account ownership rose from 60.5% to 76.4%. Renewable energy capacity grew from 60.1 to 74.9 watts per capita. In terms of disaster preparedness, nine ASEAN Member States have now adopted national disaster risk reduction strategies aligned with the Sendai Framework.
The ASEAN SDG Indicator Progress Report 2025 reflects the region’s sustained advancement across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 68 related targets, measured through 80 unique indicators—or 165 when including sub-indicators and overlapping metrics.
“Over the past seven years, ASEAN has achieved commendable progress across all Goals, underscoring the region’s collective commitment to the 2030 Agenda,” said Mohd Uzir.
He added, “Fifteen targets are currently on track, particularly in areas such as poverty eradication, health, gender equality, clean energy, and institutional strength. Meanwhile, 32 targets are showing moderate progress, and 21 display signs of stagnation or decline.” - October 1, 2025
