South-East Asia Internet economy to surge to RM1.5 trillion by 2025

A delivery driver collecting takeaway orders from a cloud kitchen for Thai restaurants in Bangkok. E-commerce, travel, media, transport and food are driving South-East Asia’s digital growth, with online spending rising 49% in 2021 to US$174bil (RM722.18bil), according to a report. — AFP

South-East Asia’s booming Internet economy is set to double to US$363bil (RM1.5 trillion) by 2025, eclipsing the previous forecast of US$300bil (RM1.24 trillion), research from Google, Temasek Holdings Pte and Bain & Co shows.

E-commerce, travel, media, transport and food are driving the region’s digital growth, with online spending rising 49% in 2021 to US$174bil (RM722.18bil), the companies said in their latest annual report. The region added 60 million new Internet users since the start of the pandemic, led by Thailand and the Philippines.