HANOI -- Southeast Asia's six leading economies are expected to face diverging fiscal paths in 2021, with Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia gaining from pre-pandemic levels while Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand struggle to return to health.
Nikkei compiled the International Monetary Fund's country-based projections for real gross domestic product, setting the 2019 figures as a baseline of 100. Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia all scored above the 100 mark for 2021, meaning their economies are seen expanding next year compared with the level before the coronavirus outbreak in 2019. Still, all six countries face continued uncertainties from the epidemic, as well as the new incoming administration in the U.S.
