Projected investment needs in Asia and the Pacific are substantial. Hundreds of millions of people in the region still live without access to basic infrastructure, including for connectivity. Improving the quality of available infrastructure, its resilience and environmental sustainability needs to be a priority for the region. Progress on inclusive and sustainable industrialization and innovation has been uneven. Gaps are widening in some areas, such as manufacturing value-added per capita. Concerted efforts to keep developing countries from missing out on the New Industrial Revolution are needed. While much remains to be done, support for innovation as measured in terms of spending on research and development has increased.

For more data and regional analysis, access the Asia-Pacific SDG Gateway.