Productivity Measurement

Home » Productivity Measurement

Productivity Measurement

In line with its organizational mission, since 2007 the APO has conducted productivity measurement projects that provide a comparative analysis of the productivity and economic growth of APO member economies. The results of these projects support the Secretariat in planning need-based programs and assist member governments in formulating appropriate economic policies and strategies. These productivity measurement projects are implemented under a research partnership with Keio Economic Observatory of Keio University, Tokyo.

APO Productivity Database

APO Productivity Database 2025

APO Productivity Database 2025 Version 1 (xlsx) [Updated 7 October 2025]
APO Productivity Database 2025 Version 1 (Index) (xlsx) [Updated 7 October 2025]

The APO Productivity Database provides economy-wide productivity accounts, together with industry-level GDP and labor productivity indicators and related macroeconomic data.

APO Productivity Databook

APO Productivity Databook 2025 (PDF)

The 18th edition of the APO Productivity Databook offers in-depth analyses of Asia’s economic growth and productivity from 1970 to 2023, with projections through 2035. It covers baseline indicators for 33 Asian economies, consisting of 21 APO members and 12 nonmembers, as well as reference economies such as Australia, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA. The Databook draws from the APO Productivity Database (APO-PDB) 2025, a harmonized productivity account of the Asia27 (the APO21 plus Afghanistan, Bhutan, Brunei, China, the Maldives, and Myanmar) and the USA that provides detailed insights into the roles of capital and labor inputs and total factor productivity in driving economic growth.

Authored by Dr. Koji Nomura (Keio University) and Dr. Mun S. Ho (Harvard University) under the consultancy of Professor W. Erwin Diewert (University of British Columbia), this edition incorporates the latest estimates published through May 2025, applies the 2021 International Comparisons Program (ICP) purchasing power parity (PPP) benchmark for level comparisons, and integrates the Asia Quality-adjusted Labor Input (AQALI) Database 2025 and the Asia Natural Resources Database (ANRD) 2025 to enhance measurement of labor quality and land or natural-resource assets. The APO Productivity Databook serves as an essential resource for policymakers and researchers, offering harmonized international comparisons covering more than half a century to support informed decision-making.

Click here for older editions of the databook.

Asian Economy and Productivity Map (AEPM)

Access the AEPM dashboard here

The AEPM is an interactive platform that provides annual productivity and macroeconomic indicators for Asian economies, based on the APO Productivity Database, as well as quarterly GDP growth indicators.

Productivity Research Notes

PRN, KEO, Keio University

Metadata Survey

A Survey of National Accounts in Asia for Cross-country Productivity Comparisons (PDF 600 KB)[Updated: March 2009]

Co-authors: Professor Koji Nomura, Ms. Eunice Y.M. Lau, and Mr. Hideyuki Mizobuchi

Research Papers on Productivity Measurement

• Business Dynamics and Productivity Growth with an Application to Taiwanese Electronics Firms (PDF 280 KB)
Presented by Professor Loretta Fung at the APO-KEO Special Lecture held on 5 October 2009.

• The Housing Bubble and a New Approach to Accounting for Housing in a CPI (PDF 120 KB)
Presented by Professor Alice Nakamura at the APO-KEO Special Lecture held on 5 October 2009.

• Productivity Measurement within a New Architecture for the US National Accounts: Lessons for Asia (PDF 130 KB)
Presented by Professor Dale W. Jorgenson at the APO-KEO Special Lecture held on 15 January 2009.

• Productivity Measurement in the National Accounts and Its Importance (PDF 150 KB)
Presented by Professor Erwin Diewert at the APO-KEO Special Lecture held on 22 October 2007.

Articles on Productivity Measurement

News Articles

A look at Asian productivity in the last decade, APO News May 2011

Reading productivity and economic trends
Dr. Koji Nomura, Associate Professor, Keio Economic Observatory, Keio University, contributed the articles below, in collaboration with Ms. Eunice Y.M. Lau, co-author of the APO Productivity Databook (Parts 1–7):

The power of data, APO News June 2010

Capacity Building in Productivity Measurement for APO Members

The Research and Planning Department undertakes survey initiatives, missions, and other forms of assistance for members to build their capacity in the area of productivity measurement and economic statistics. These efforts are in line with the APO’s mission to serve as a think tank and regional adviser for its members.

APO Survey Initiative
Surveys are conducted by the APO Secretariat to assist APO members in improving their official statistical data and to build up their capacity for productivity measurement. These can take various forms ranging from a joint statistical survey with a member to an assistance mission to an individual member upon request. To date, missions have been sent by the APO to Mongolia (2008) and Fiji (2009). An ongoing survey initiative is the National Wealth Survey of Mongolia. This is being conducted in collaboration with the National Statistical Office of Mongolia. This will be the first survey to observe capital stock in Mongolia directly and ultimately will be the basis for the development of the balance-sheet account in Mongolia.

Click below for news on the Mongolian initiative.

• Collaboration with the National Statistical Office of Mongolia
• Training for Mongolian NSO staff

APO TFP Missions to Member Countries
Among APO members, there are distinct differences in the system of national accounts and the definition and coverage of economic indicators that are crucial for productivity measurement. A challenging task in productivity measurement is considering these differences and devising a harmonized methodology for computing indicators like single factor productivity (e.g., labor productivity) or multifactor productivity/total factor productivity (TFP). In line with the aim of assisting APO members in taking the necessary steps for computing their TFP using internationally standardized methodology, the APO dispatches missions to its members when requested.

Click below for news on these TFP Missions.