ABSTRACT
Perhaps the most important conclusion to be drawn from this survey of living standards across the ten countries of Southeast Asia is that, on most of the indicators widely used to measure living standards, there has been progress since the early years of the twentieth century. Although population growth has been rapid, national output and income have grown faster than population in all countries over the decades from the early twentieth to the early twenty-first century. Years of schooling have increased, and the great majority of people are now able to read and write in the national language. This is a considerable achievement given the low levels of literacy which prevailed in much of the region in 1950. Health indicators such as life expectancy have also improved, as have housing conditions. Increased provision of transport and communications infrastructure has led to better connectivity for many millions of people, who can travel both within and across national boundaries for employment and leisure activities.
