Asia Pacific Industry Sectors
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Asia-Pacific contains a diverse range of economies with varying levels of development and a wide variety of industries. Although it is hard to generalise industries within the region, major industries in larger and more developed economies include include manufacturing, mining, semiconductors, electronics, oil and natural gas, textiles, automobiles, financial services, pharmaceuticals and telecommunication
Asia-Pacific contains a diverse range of economies with varying levels of development and a wide variety of industries. Although it is hard to generalise industries within the region, major industries in larger and more developed economies include include manufacturing, mining, semiconductors, electronics, oil and natural gas, textiles, automobiles, financial services, pharmaceuticals and telecommunication
Advanced economies in Asia-Pacific such as Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and New Zealand deal primarily in services, with a declining importance in both agriculture and industry. Hong Kong and Singapore in particular, built that economy through the manufacturing industry but have gradually transitioned to services. South Korea is a unique case, in which it is already considered an advanced economy although industry still constitutes a huge part of its GDP.
On the next level of development come major emerging economies such as China and India. These economies are rapidly transitioning from industries to services, with agriculture quickly losing importance for their economy.
One level below are countries such Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. Although these countries are also transitioning from industries to services, their transition is likely to be at a slower paced compared to China and India. Industry still takes up the highest percentage of these countries’ GDPs, though this number is slowly being replaced by services.
As Asia-Pacific countries progress in their economic development, there is a general shift from agriculture to industry to services. (Read Emerging and Developing Economies Industry Sectors to learn more)
The exceptions to the rule tend to be countries in the Pacific Islands. These countries have neither the natural resources nor the manpower to maintain a thriving agriculture or industry and rely almost exclusively on tourism services.
Selected Asia-Pacific Economies’ GDP Composition by Sector, Industrial Production Growth Rate (2010) and Industries
Australia
GDP Composition by Sector: Agriculture (4 percent), Industry (24.8 percent), Services (71.2 percent)
Industrial Production Growth Rate: 3 percent
Industries: mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel
Read more about Australia’s Industry Sectors at EconomyWatch.com
Cambodia
GDP Composition by Sector: Agriculture (33.4 percent), Industry (21.4 percent), Services (45.2 percent)
Industrial Production Growth Rate: 5.7 percent
Industries: tourism, garments, construction, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining, textiles
Read more about Cambodia’s Industry Sectors at EconomyWatch.com
China
GDP Composition by Sector: Agriculture (9.6 percent), Industry (46.8 percent), Services (43.6 percent)
Industrial Production Growth Rate: 11 percent
Industries: world leader in gross value of industrial output; mining and ore processing, iron, steel, aluminum, and other metals, coal; machine building; armaments; textiles and apparel; petroleum; cement; chemicals; fertilizers; consumer products, including footwear, toys, and electronics; food processing; transportation equipment, including automobiles, rail cars and locomotives, ships, and aircraft; telecommunications equipment, commercial space launch vehicles, satellites
Read more about China’s Industry Sectors at EconomyWatch.com
Hong Kong
GDP Composition by Sector: Agriculture (0.1 percent), Industry (7.6 percent), Services (92.3 percent)
Industrial Production Growth Rate: -0.3 percent
Industries: textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks
Read more about Hong Kong’s Industry Sectors at EconomyWatch.com
India
GDP Composition by Sector: Agriculture (16.1 percent), Industry (28.6 percent), Services (55.3 percent)
Industrial Production Growth Rate: 9.7 percent
Industries: textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software, pharmaceuticals
Read more about India’s Industry Sectors at EconomyWatch.com
Indonesia
GDP Composition by Sector: Agriculture (16.5 percent), Industry (46.4 percent), Services (37.1 percent)
Industrial Production Growth Rate: 3.6 percent
Industries: petroleum and natural gas, textiles, apparel, footwear, mining, cement, chemical fertilizers, plywood, rubber, food, tourism
Read more about Indonesia’s Industry Sectors at EconomyWatch.com
Japan
GDP Composition by Sector: Agriculture (1.1 percent), Industry (23.0 percent), Services (75.9 percent)
Industrial Production Growth Rate: 15.5 percent
Industries: among world’s largest and technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods
Read more about Japan’s Industry Sectors at EconomyWatch.com
Malaysia
GDP Composition by Sector: Agriculture (9.1 percent), Industry (41.6 percent), Services (49.3 percent)
Industrial Production Growth Rate: 15.5 percent
Industries: Peninsular Malaysia – rubber and oil palm processing and manufacturing, light manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, medical technology, electronics, tin mining and smelting, logging, timber processing; Sabah – logging, petroleum production; Sarawak – agriculture processing, petroleum production and refining, logging
Read more about Malaysia’s Industry Sectors at EconomyWatch.com
Mongolia
GDP Composition by Sector: Agriculture (15 percent), Industry (31 percent), Services (54 percent)
Industrial Production Growth Rate: 3 percent
Industries: construction and construction materials; mining (coal, copper, molybdenum, fluorspar, tin, tungsten, and gold); oil; food and beverages; processing of animal products, cashmere and natural fiber manufacturing
Read more about Mongolia’s Industry Sectors at EconomyWatch.com
Myanmar
GDP Composition by Sector: Agriculture (43.2 percent), Industry (20 percent), Services (36.8 percent)
Industrial Production Growth Rate: 3 percent
Industries: agricultural processing; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; cement, construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer; oil and natural gas; garments, jade and gems
Read more about Myanmar’s Industry Sectors at EconomyWatch.com
New Zealand
GDP Composition by Sector: Agriculture (4.6 percent), Industry (24 percent), Services (71.4 percent)
Industrial Production Growth Rate: 2 percent
Industries: food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining
Read more about New Zealand’s Industry Sectors at EconomyWatch.com
Pakistan
GDP Composition by Sector: Agriculture (21.8 percent), Industry (23.6 percent), Services (54.6 percent)
Industrial Production Growth Rate: 4.9 percent
Industries: textiles and apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, paper products, fertilizer, shrimp
Read more about Pakistan’s Industry Sectors at EconomyWatch.com
Philippines
GDP Composition by Sector: Agriculture (13.9 percent), Industry (31.3 percent), Services (54.8 percent)
Industrial Production Growth Rate: 12.1 percent
Industries: electronics assembly, garments, footwear, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, wood products, food processing, petroleum refining, fishing
Read more about Philippines’ Industry Sectors at EconomyWatch.com
Singapore
GDP Composition by Sector: Agriculture (0.0 percent), Industry (27.2 percent), Services (72.8 percent)
Industrial Production Growth Rate: 25 percent
Industries: electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling equipment, petroleum refining, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and beverages, ship repair, offshore platform construction, life sciences, entrepot trade
Read more about Singapore’s Industry Sectors at EconomyWatch.com
South Korea
GDP Composition by Sector: Agriculture (3 percent), Industry (39.4 percent), Services (57.6 percent)
Industrial Production Growth Rate: 4.3 percent
Industries: electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel
Read more about South Korea’s Industry Sectors at EconomyWatch.com
Vietnam
GDP Composition by Sector: Agriculture (20.6 percent), Industry (41.1 percent), Services (38.3 percent)
Industrial Production Growth Rate: 14 percent
Industries: food processing, garments, shoes, machine-building; mining, coal, steel; cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, paper
Read more about Vietnam’s Industry Sectors at EconomyWatch.com
