Asia sees first regional recession in 60 years
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) says the Covid-19 pandemic has pulled the region’s developing economies into recession.
It is the first time in six decades that “developing Asia” – a designation that includes 45 countries – has seen a regional slump.
The ADB says developing Asia’s economy will shrink by 0.7% in 2020.
But the region is expected to rebound strongly in 2021, growing by 6.8% next year.
The bank’s Asian Development Outlook Update shows about three-quarters of the region’s economies are forecast to slump this year.
It revises down its earlier projection of a paltry 0.1% growth in the region’s gross domestic product (GDP) for 2020.
“Most economies in the Asia and Pacific region can expect difficult growth path for the rest of 2020,” ADB chief economist Yasuyuki Sawada said in a statement.
The ADB’s assessment brings the lender into line with the International Monetary Fund, which made a similar prediction earlier this year.
