Asia beating global peers on digital engagement

New Delhi, 17 May 2017—Asian economies are more digitally engaged relative to their global peers at similar stages of development, according to Deloitte, who today released the second edition of their Voice of Asia series. Deloitte's digital engagement indices for government, businesses and consumers, show that Asian economies are leveraging digital technologies to help them leapfrog development hurdles, resulting in them winning the race on connectivity. India is garnering a lot of attention given the major policy push to digital. Overall, Asia has become the centre of global economic growth, and by embracing digital, it will continue to lead global economic growth over the coming decade.

Anis Chakravarty, Lead Economist, Deloitte India, explained that, “digital technologies have been synonymous with rapid change and have been evolving over the past four decades. Looking at the Indian landscape, while we have made good progress, we are still at the beginning stages of attaining digital maturity. On a global scale, we can see that Asian economies and societies are at the forefront of this revolution. With recent impetus from government and support from the private sector, India is leading the way in how digital developments can enable consumers, businesses and governments to do things differently and, often, more efficiently.”

Asian countries winning the race on digital engagement

As the fastest growing region in the world and a significant driver of global economic growth over the past decade, Asia is assuming the digital leadership position in the 21st century. According to the Deloitte digital engagement indices for government, business and consumers, Asian economies are ahead in digital engagement terms, with almost all Asian countries above the world average. Government and business engagement is high relative to the rest of the world, with individual engagement about average. The Deloitte digital engagement index scores each countries' Networked Readiness Index (NRI) against GDP per capita, showing that every country in Asia, apart from Myanmar, has above average levels of digital engagement for the level of their economic development.

Singapore and Hong Kong are world leaders, while the large population bases in countries such as India, China, Indonesia, and Vietnam have considerable opportunities for the future. In middle-income countries in Asia, governments have been able to maintain strong growth agendas based on policies in areas such as trade, infrastructure and savings. Today, these countries are pursuing growth agendas with digital taking a leading role.

Digital technologies support countries in leapfrogging development hurdles

Once digital engagement is achieved, digital technologies can support countries in leapfrogging development hurdles, as well as harnessing the power of digital opportunities. Technological change has enabled the delivery of cheaper and more reliable solutions to address some of the key impediments to economic development. Further, investment in digital infrastructure contributes to productivity in the same way as other forms of infrastructure. By boosting productivity and opening new channels of commerce, digital engagement can enhance economic growth beyond what would otherwise be the case.

"Two elements have contributed to the success of Asia’s economies over recent decades. First, the opening of the traded goods sectors to external market forces and, second, encouraging the adoption of cutting edge technology wherever possible. These elements are related and have meant that these economies have been able to overcome hurdles to their development, bypassing old or second-best technologies and practices along the way,” said Frank Farrall, Asia-Pacific lead partner for Deloitte Digital.

The areas of business, digital infrastructure and consumers are most likely to benefit from digital technologies. As the region develops, digital will have a greater impact on economies focused on service provision relative to resource-intensive economies.

The areas of business, digital infrastructure and consumers are most likely to benefit from digital technologies. As the region develops, digital will have a greater impact on economies focused on service provision relative to resource-intensive economies.

• For consumers, digital can provide opportunities in terms of connectivity, mobility and social networks. India is leading the way with the highest number of Facebook users in the world (195 million in May 2016) and e-commerce is also expanding, with China now the world’s largest e-commerce market. Across all countries, the potential to harness consumer engagement is high.
• For business, digital can encourage trade in the region by helping businesses, particularly small businesses, access global markets. Indian e-commerce giants and MNCs have shown that there is a lot of scope for development in the markets. 
• For government, digital aids in the development of public infrastructure, particularly around smart cities, which can help leap infrastructure development hurdles. Digital government initiatives can also help to improve efficiency, transparency and inclusiveness of government. Countries such as Singapore and South Korea are global leaders while the Indian policy makers have also unveiled a list of 100 cities that will go through transformation. Their governments continue to actively explore how to embrace the latest waves of technological advances so that they remain at the forefront.

Anis Chakravarty, Lead Economist, Deloitte India, commented, “the government in India is taking a proactive role by creating the requisite policy framework and incentives for digitisation to succeed. Given the size and nature of the economy, how exactly this translates into growth taking into account the level of financial inclusion will depend on a myriad factors such as the country’s approach to innovation and adoption rates. There are clear opportunities for countries to grow at a quicker pace by embracing the new digital technologies. There are positive externalities than can be harnessed from the developmental journeys of different economies.”

The move to digital is for everyone across the region, as innovation via digital means the region can provide new sources of competitive advantage, create new jobs and help alleviate socio-economic challenges.

For more analysis and details on the Voice of Asia, please visit Deloitte University Press.