Recently, McKinsey published a discussion paper titled: The future of Asia, where the authors explored the past and future developments of Asia.

In this article, I will be sharing with yall one of the topics discussed in the 84-page paper.

As the discussion paper is segmented into different topics, the focus of this article will revolve around the 4 Types of Asia identified, their characteristics, behavior and contribution towards the region’s development.

All information presented is extracted from the discussion paper itself. I am merely summarizing the findings and providing some of my inputs alongside with what was discussed in the article.

Redefining the boundaries of Asia

Instead of using geographical boundaries as a means of classifying the different types of Asia, the team at McKinsey has its own classification based on the following factors:

1. Scale: overall GDP as well as population

2. Economic development: the degree of development and growth potential

3. Interactions within Asia

4. Connectedness with the world

Based on the factors used, the team has distinguished four types of Asia which are as follows:

1. Advance Asia

2. China

3. Emerging Asia

4. Frontier Asia

Personally, I find the above classification to make more sense as opposed to the commonly adopted geographical classification.

By grouping the countries that exhibit similar characteristics, it is easier to understand the behavior and the complementary role that each of Asia plays towards contributing to the economic success of our region.