Consolidated Research & Statistics

MSME Statistics

Breakdown of STEM Professionals by Gender

Disability Statistics

Participation in International Standards-Setting Bodies

Government AI Readiness Index 2021

Data Centers in Southeast Asia

Data Protection Laws and National AI Policies

MSME STATISTICS

Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) make up an overwhelming majority of businesses in each of the five countries studied in this report. As a result, they are often a key constituency of governments’ digitalization efforts. In this section, we delve deeper into the key facts and figures of MSMEs in Southeast Asia.

Indonesia

Malaysia

“Only about one in three businesses in Malaysia has implemented digital transformation strategies, while less than one in four businesses has a dedicated digital strategy team. Malaysia also has “fewer businesses with websites, and fewer secure servers than per capita income would predict” compared to other countries. As of 2017, only 37.8% of business establishments in Malaysia have a web presence.”

* Lacking data on intersection of ownership by gender and digital presence of MSMEs

Singapore

Thailand

* Lacking data on intersection of ownership by gender and digital presence of MSMEs.
** Lacking information on MSMEs specifically.

Viet Nam

* Lacking data on intersection of ownership by gender and digital presence of MSMEs

Sources

Indonesia

Female ownership of MSMEs available at: www.smefinanceforum.org/data-sites/msme-finance-gap; and www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/260f2097-e440-4599-91ec-e42d45cf3913/SME+In….

Representation of MSMEs in the digital lansdscape in Table “Core indicators on ICT use in business by enterprise size class, annual, 2003–2016”, Indicator “Proportion of businesses with a web presence” available at: https://unctadstat.unctad.org/wds/ReportFolders/reportFolders.aspx.

Malaysia

Female ownership of MSMEs available at: www.smefinanceforum.org/data-sites/msme-finance-gap.

Representation of MSMEs in the digital lansdscape available at: https://techwireasia.com/2021/06/smes-in-malaysia-stilllag-in-digital-a….

Singapore

Female ownership of MSMEs available at: www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/PDF-135/Accenture-Businesseswomen-GrowEcono….

Representation of MSMEs in the digital lansdscape in Table “Core indicators on ICT use in business by enterprise size class, annual, 2003–2016”, Indicator “Proportion of businesses with a web presence” available at: https://unctadstat.unctad.org/wds/ReportFolders/reportFolders.aspx.

Thailand

Female ownership of MSMEs available at: www.smefinanceforum.org/data-sites/msme-finance-gap.

Representation of MSMEs in the digital lansdscape in Table “Core indicators on ICT use in business by enterprise size class, annual, 2003–2016”, Indicator “Proportion of businesses with a web presence” available at: https://unctadstat.unctad.org/wds/ReportFolders/reportFolders.aspx.

Viet Nam

Female ownership of MSMEs available at: www.smefinanceforum.org/data-sites/msme-finance-gap.

Representation of MSMEs in the digital lansdscape available at: https://mekongbiz.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/WOB-Position-Paper_Eng…; and https://vir.com.vn/over-575-per-cent-of-vietnamese-smes-struggle-with-d….

ICT index and average % of internet and website adoption by enterprises in each province can be found at: https://m.mic.gov.vn/Pages/TinTuc/143252/Bao-cao-Vietnam-ICT-Index.html (reports are in Vietnamese, will require translation.) 2015 figures from the same index can be found in English at: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02681102.2021.1935201 (table 2).

BREAKDOWN OF STEM PROFESSIONALS BY GENDER

The presence of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals is critical for an economy invested in data-driven technologies like AI. It is also important to understand the gender breakdown of STEM professionals to ensure that the conceptualization, design, and deployment of those technologies adequately reflect the unique needs, priorities, and perspectives of both women and men.

Female Share of STEM Tertiary Graduates 2018-2020

Proportion of Researchers in STEM by Gender 2015-2019

Sources

Female share of STEM tertiary graduates, available at: https://databank.worldbank.org/id/2ddc971b?Code=SE.TER.GRAD.FE.SI.ZS&re…;

Proportion of researchers in STEM by gender, available at: https://bangkok.unesco.org/content/complex-formula-girls-andwomen-scien…;

Science, technology and innovation: Researchers by sex, per million inhabitants, per thousand labor force, per thousand total employment (FTE and HC), available at: data.uis.unesco.org.

DISABILITY STATISTICS

Technology should enable and empower persons with disabilities (PWDs) to realize their full potential and live a life of dignity. Although many countries have dedicated policies for PWDs, like many other minority groups, PWDs do not always receive mainstream consideration in data-driven national policies. This can result in practical shortcomings or worse, bias and discrimination, when technological innovations for public services are rolled out.

Indonesia*

* Concerns have been raised about the lack of data Indonesia has on PWD, see: www.asiasentinel.com/p/indonesia-disability-issues-lack-data?s=r.

Malaysia

Singapore

Thailand

Viet Nam

PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS-SETTING BODIES

Participation in the international standards arena affords not only familiarization with developments being discussed (a capacity-building measure, in itself) but also the opportunity to contribute to deliberations about the longer-term rules of the road for a particular field. Simply being present in these forums can nurture agency and prepare countries’ for more involved discussions later on.

Technical standards-setting bodies on data and AI include the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Country Participation

Indonesia

Full member of ISO

Observing member of ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42: The international standards committee responsible for standardization in AI

Member state of ITU

Malaysia

Full member of ISO

Not a member of ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42: The international standards committee responsible for standardization in AI

Member state of ITU

Singapore

Full member of ISO

Participating member of ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42: The international standards committee responsible for standardization in AI

Member state of ITU

Thailand

Full member of ISO

Not a member of ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42: The international standards committee responsible for standardization in AI

Member state of ITU

Viet Nam

Full member of ISO

Not a member of ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42: The international standards committee responsible for standardization in AI

Member state of ITU

GOVERNMENT AI READINESS INDEX 2021

This table is drawn from the Oxford Insights’ Government AI Readiness Index, which is now in its fourth edition. The index draws on 42 indicators across 10 dimensions in the areas of Government, Technology Sector, and Data and Infrastructure, in order to answer the question: “How ready is a given government to implement AI in the delivery of public services to their citizens?” The scores are calculated out of a total of 100.

Government AI Readiness

DATA CENTERS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

The increasing number of data centers in Southeast Asia points to an expected growth of the data industry, supported by long-term capital investment to facilitate that expansion. However, the amount of energy needed to power the operation of these data centers can have potentially detrimental effects on the environment — including community displacement — without proper planning.

Number of Data Centers by Country

Sources

www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210427005613/en/Southeast-Asia-Data-Ce…- Forecast-2021-2026-Featuring-Key-IT-Infrastructure-Providers-Support-Infrastructure-Providers-Contractors- Investors---ResearchAndMarkets.com.

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2022/03/09/2400274/0/en/Sout…- to-Reach-12-34-Billion-by-2027-Around-2-3-Million-Sq-Ft-of-Data-Center-White-Space-to-be-Added-Arizton.html.

DATA PROTECTION LAWS AND NATIONAL AI POLICIES

This table is a comparative and shorthand depiction of data protection-specific laws and their status in each of the five countries, as of June 2022.

Indonesia

Data Protection Law

Personal Data Protection Bill