Cross-national comparison of well-being in Asean

Mahar Mangahas in his column titled “Is national progress a sport?” (5/23/26) noted that pundits’ never tire of complaining, ”There was a time, long ago, when we Filipinos were the best in such and such, but now our neighbors have already caught up with us.” He added that ”It’s as though there was a permanent tournament of the nations, competing in terms of their achievements in certain aspects of well-being.”

It is perceived that the cross-national comparison of well-being is more likely to continue even after the country’s chairing of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit Meetings this year. Life expectancy (LE), which is an important measure of well-being, is made the specific subject of comparison. It cited that, based on the United Nations Population Division estimates (2026), out of 234 countries, the Philippines ranks 173rd with 70.2 years of LE compared with Indonesia’s 164th and 71.2 years, and Vietnam’s 125th and 75 years, respectively.

Take note that the country’s economic strength measured in terms of GDP per capita based on the purchasing power parity in 2025 was $12,920— $15,943 as compared to Indonesia’s $17,746 and Vietnam’s $18,500 – $21,741 The link between a country’s economic strength and LE, as foundational to human well-being, is a heavily documented and empirically robust correlation. This explains why Vietnam and Indonesia are better off relative.

Article continues after this advertisement

Mangahas also noted that: ”The mere fact of a higher average life expectancy in most other Asean countries does not, in itself, diminish the well-being of Filipinos. The extra perspective serves to help understand what may be the causes and to devise public and private policies to improve the situation in the Philippines.”

FEATURED STORIES

OPINION

OPINION

OPINION

The country’s present level of well-being could be due to the reality that its percent shares of agriculture at 21 percent, industry at 18 percent, and services at 61 percent, with corresponding high variance of 40 percent highlight the structural imbalance in the country’s economic development. In fact, the economy is driven by the service sector: consumer activity and tourism; wholesale and retail; transport and storage; accommodation and food services. In comparison, Vietnam has percent shares in agriculture at 30 percent, industry at 35 percent, and services at 35 percent with a variance of just 5 percent. It is classified as a highly diversified, export-driven market economy wherein its labor force is shifting away from agriculture and expanding into services and manufacturing.

Based on the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, the areas of focus are economic development (job creation, boosting local industries, and accelerating poverty reduction); infrastructure and connectivity; social services, and agriculture and food security (modernizing agriculture and stabilizing the food supply chain). The plan, if duly implemented and guided by smart policies, could result in the diversification of the economy, characterized by shifting the labor force away from services with low-value and low-paying jobs and agriculture with low-value production to the high value-added manufacturing sector.

Edmundo Enderez

Article continues after this advertisement

[email protected]

For letters to the editor and contributed articles, email to [email protected]

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.