In Southeast Asia, what are the richest countries and why?

Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) is measured by finding the values (in USD) of a basket of consumer goods that are present in each country (such as orange juice, pencils, etc.). If that basket costs $100 in the US and $200 in the United Kingdom, then the purchasing power parity exchange rate is 1:2. read more

The richest country in South East Asia is Singapore. No other country is even close to that level of individual wealth and national stability. I worked in Singapore four times, Malaysia on the Peninsula three times, Bangkok Thailand and lived in Jakarta Indonesia. read more

Consisting of 11 countries reaching from eastern India to China, Southeast Asia is generally divided into "mainland" and "island" zones. The mainland—comprising Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam—is an extension of the Asian continent, while Island Southeast Asia includes Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, and the new nation of East Timor, formerly part of Indonesia. read more