This publication provides updates on Social Protection Indicators of 13 Pacific developing member countries of the Asian Development Bank. It presents an analysis of 2015 data on social protection programs in the countries, particularly the substantial progress in terms of expenditure and benefit size between 2009 and 2015. Spending favored the nonpoor over the poor. Yet, spending on women remained behind that on men, with the gap even widening. The Social Protection Index---now the Social Protection Indicator---was developed by the Asian Development Bank and its partners as the first comprehensive and quantitative measure of social protection systems in Asia and the Pacific.

This publication provides updates on Social Protection Indicators of 24 countries in Asia, with an analysis of 2015 data on social protection programs. It shows progress in expenditure, primarily driven by social insurance and coverage between 2009 and 2015. Spending on women has improved in several countries, yet others continued to favor the nonpoor over the poor, and men over women. The Social Protection Index---now the Social Protection Indicator---was developed by the Asian Development Bank and its partners as the first comprehensive and quantitative measure of social protection systems in Asia and the Pacific.

The Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2017, the 48th edition of this series, includes the latest available economic, financial, social, and environmental indicators for the 48 regional members of the Asian Development Bank. It presents the latest key statistics on development issues concerning the economies of Asia and the Pacific to a wide audience, including policy makers, development practitioners, government officials, researchers, students, and the general public. Part I of this issue presents the current status of economies of Asia and the Pacific with respect to the Sustainable Development Goals based on selected indicators from the global indicator framework. This year's report also discusses results from an initiative to facilitate the compilation of statistics on asset ownership from a gender perspective. Part II comprises statistical indicators that capture economic, financial, social, and environmental developments. Part III presents key statistics and stylized facts on the phenomenon of global value chains.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is committed to developing and updating a comprehensive set of comparable and accessible data to help measure performance of social protection programs in Asia and the Pacific. This 2016 report is the first comprehensive assessment of government social protection programs in 13 Pacific island countries, while a similar report presents data collected for 25 countries in Asia. This publication is an update of the 2013 report, The Social Protection Index: Assessing Results for Asia and the Pacific. It is intended to help monitor and assess the nature of government social insurance, social assistance, and labor market programs in the Pacific.

This publication provides updated statistics on a comprehensive set of economic, financial, social, and environmental measures as well as select indicators for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report covers the 49 regional members of ADB. It discusses trends in development progress and the challenges to achieving inclusive and sustainable economic growth across Asia and the Pacific. This 52nd edition discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the challenges of meeting development targets, which needed urgent attention even before the global health crisis began. To put into practice the "leave no one behind" principle of the SDGs, the availability of more detailed and informative data is crucial. With the pandemic intensifying society's reliance on digital platforms for remote working and learning, as well as for shopping and entertainment, the 2021 report features a special supplement, Capturing the Digital Economy: A Proposed Measurement Framework and Its Applications, which is rooted in input-output analysis and uses readily available national accounts data. The study provides a sound basis on which to assess the relative importance of the digital economy in national and global production processes.

This report assesses social protection measures in Asia and outlines the need for more inclusive, shock-responsive policies to cut poverty and to spur equitable development. Centered around ADB’s Social Protection Indicator, it assesses data from 26 countries to show how measures are evolving to provide increased support and opportunities for the poor, women, and people with disabilities. Explaining why the COVID-19 pandemic made many more vulnerable, the report suggests that it also offers opportunities for longer-term expansion of social protection. It proposes measures for strengthening data collection and compilation to enhance design and effectiveness of social protection.

Prepared by Sri Wening Handayani [and three others].