https://medium.com/@Mario.Bojilov/observations-on-digital-technology-in-south-east-asian-countries-ab091e7cbefd

The increased rate of mobile connectivity, more households have access to mobile phone than clean water, and digital adoption, over 50% of world’s population is now online, has created a number of unique opportunities and challenges for different countries. Countries that have accelerated their investment and adoption of digital technology are poised to reap significant economic benefits. Case in point is Australia where digital economy will be worth 7% of GDP by 2020.

In relation to South-East Asian countries, the situation is somewhat mixed. Singapore is the clear leader in digital adoption and innovation, being classified as a stand-out, together with New Zealand, UK and UAE. Malaysia is currently in a transition between break-out and stand-out. At the same time, Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia, while scoring relatively low on their Digital Evolution Index are rapidly gathering momentum and are classified as break-outs. An interesting outlier is Thailand, classified as a watch-out. The country has a higher Digital Evolution Index score than the previous three countries but is moving very slowly and risks falling further behind.