Asia’s Growth Engines: Scale, Speed and Opportunity Across Regions
Asia's scale, speed and integration are no longer concentrated in a single core, but spread across multiple, complementary engines.
Asia's scale, speed and integration are no longer concentrated in a single core, but spread across multiple, complementary engines.
The volatility and geographic concentration of investment flows raises questions about Africa’s ability to sustain momentum into 2026 and beyond.
The African Development Bank projects Africa’s GDP growth at 4.3% in 2026. We test this perspective by reviewing the continent’s 2025 growth landscape.
A decade of data shows a structural break in 2024, after which trade policy volatility no longer returns to its historical baseline.
Export growth is now concentrated in fast-industrialising Asia, infrastructure-heavy Middle Eastern economies and new manufacturing hubs in Eastern Europe.
Since 1948, global merchandise trade has shifted decisively away from the Atlantic economies toward Asia.
Of China’s USD 3.6 trillion in exports in 2024, these were the top five export categories and products—and the largest buyers for each.
Asia remains China’s main export destination, though its share has eased slightly.
The interior and western regions are leading growth in 2025, while several heavyweight coastal hubs are growing below the national average.
Scale is in North and Southern Africa, but the continent’s economic dynamism emanates from the West and the East.