RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has released its economic growth outlook for developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The ADB projects the region’s economy will grow by 5.1 percent in 2026, slowing from 5.4 percent in 2025.

The same trend applies to Southeast Asia, particularly ASEAN. Growth in 2026 is projected at 4.6 percent, down from 4.8 percent in 2025.

Indonesia, however, is expected to record stronger growth. The economy is projected to expand by 5.2 percent in 2026, up from 5.1 percent in 2025.

Within ASEAN, Brunei Darussalam and Myanmar are forecast to see higher growth this year, while other member states are expected to experience slower expansion compared to 2025.

Year-on-year comparison of Indonesia’s economic growth (Photo: ADB Documentation)

The April 2026 Asian Development Outlook (ADO) notes that regional growth is slowing due to the conflict in the Middle East, alongside persistent uncertainty over global trade policies.

“The prolonged conflict in the Middle East poses the greatest risk to economic growth projections in this region. As the conflict drives up energy and food prices, financial conditions are also tightening,” said ADB Chief Economist Albert Park in an official release on Friday, April 9.

He added that the Asia-Pacific region faces a challenging yet relatively resilient global environment. Robust domestic demand, a stable labor market, and higher public infrastructure spending are supporting resilience.

“Therefore, governments across various countries need to implement appropriate macroeconomic policies to sustain economic growth and contain inflation. The policies adopted must also be targeted to protect vulnerable households,” Park said.

According to the ADB’s analysis, the prolonged Middle East conflict will affect the economy through several channels, including rising prices, shipping disruptions, and financial volatility.

The ADB projects China’s economic growth in 2026 will slow to 4.6 percent from 5 percent last year. India’s economy is also expected to decelerate to 6.9 percent from 7.6 percent in 2025. (Gusti Panji/Lasti Martina)