ASEAN spotlight: The 11 member states of the regional bloc

MANILA, Philippines – As the Philippines officially kicked off its chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2026, it will host over 600 meetings throughout the year and steer discussions critical to the development and progress of the bloc.

Here are the things you should know about the 11 member states that make up ASEAN.

Brunei

Brunei joined ASEAN on January 7, 1984, days after it gained independence from the United Kingdom.

Brunei’s economy is dominated by oil and liquefied natural gas industries and exports mostly crude oil, petroleum products, and LNG.

Brunei is the smallest country in ASEAN (population at 455,500 in 2024) but has the second highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita at around $35,410, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Islam is the dominant religion in Brunei, with 82.1% of the population identifying as Muslim in 2022, according to the 2023 International Religious Freedom Report.

Cambodia

Cambodia joined ASEAN in 1999. It was first slated to join the bloc in 1997, but this was delayed amid internal political conflict after Hun Sen removed co-prime minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh from office.

Cambodia’s key exports include garments, electrical equipment, and textiles, among others. The country’s current nominal GDP is more than $51 billion, according to the IMF.

Cambodia has a population of 17.9 million as of 2025, of which 80% are Theravada Buddhist, according to its embassy for culture and religion.

The peace and security situation between Cambodia and neighboring Thailand is among the priorities in Manila’s chairmanship of ASEAN. Before the end of 2025, the foreign ministers of the two countries signed an agreement that stopped over 20 days of fighting at their border.

Indonesia

Indonesia is the largest country, by both size and population, in ASEAN. It is also the largest archipelagic country in the world, with 17,508 islands, and the fourth most populous country, with a population of almost 287 million.

Indonesia is among the five founding members of ASEAN. Then-prime minister Adam Malik signed the ASEAN Declaration on August 8, 1967, and coined the name for the organization.

Indonesia is the largest economy in the region, with a GDP of over $1.3 trillion in 2024, based on government data. Indonesia’s economy accounts for nearly 40% of the bloc’s GDP. Its main exports and industries include nickel, coal, downstream mining, and electric vehicle batteries.

Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population, totalling approximately 204 million Muslims or around 12% of all Muslims worldwide, according to Pew Research Center.

Indonesian capital Jakarta hosts the ASEAN headquarters.

Laos

Laos became the eighth member of ASEAN on July 23, 1997.

It is one of five communist countries in the world and is the only landlocked country among the ASEAN nations.

Laos provides renewable energy, primarily hydropower, to several ASEAN members.

Despite having one of the smallest economies in ASEAN with a nominal GDP of more than $17 billion according to the IMF, Laos is considered one of the region’s fastest-growing economies, with an average annual growth rate of 7% since 2000, according to the World Bank Group.

As of 2025, Laos has a population of 7.9 million, according to the United Nations Population Fund.

Malaysia

Malaysia, which chaired ASEAN in 2025, is a founding member of the regional bloc.

Malaysia had a nominal GDP of more than $470 million in 2025, according to the IMF. Its key exports include palm oil, liquefied natural gas, and electronic products. Malaysia is considered to be more open to trade than around 90% of countries in the world, according to the World Bank Group.

The country has a population of over 35 million as of 2024. In 2020, 63.5% of the population practices Islam, according to the 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom.

As 2025 ASEAN chair, Malaysia played an active role in mediating in the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. It was during the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur that the two countries signed a “peace accord” — although border hostilities erupted months later.

Myanmar

Myanmar joined ASEAN on July 23, 1997, making it the ninth member of the bloc. It is the largest country in mainland Southeast Asia and the second largest among ASEAN nations.

Myanmar had a nominal GDP of more than $60 billion in 2025, according to the IMF. Its top exports include textile and clothing, fuel, and vegetable products.

In 2022, Theravada Buddhists made up 88% of Myanmar’s 57 million population, according to the 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom. 

In January, democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi marked her fifth year in detention after a military coup overthrew her government in 2021. Suu Kyi had led the democracy movement against military rule in the country, and had earlier spent 15 years in detention.

This military coup has been a top concern in ASEAN, with the member states repeatedly condemning the violence in the country and the junta’s non-compliance with the Five-Point Consensus, a guide for the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Myanmar.

Myanmar was supposed to be this year’s ASEAN chair but was skipped over, given the domestic situation. The Philippines accepted the request to host a year early following the ASEAN Summit in Jakarta back in 2023.

Philippines

The Philippines, 2026 ASEAN chair, is among the bloc’s founding members.

The Philippines has the second largest population in Southeast Asia after Indonesia, with around 112.7 million Filipinos as of 2024. Nearly a third of the Philippines’ population is made up of young people — 28% are between the ages of 10 to 24, according to the United Nations Population Fund.

The Philippines is the largest Catholic nation in Asia, with around 85% of its population practicing this religion, according to the International Center for Law and Religion Studies.

The Philippines is the second largest consumer market in ASEAN, after Indonesia, according to the World Bank Group. Its key exports include agricultural products and nickel, and also has a robust business process outsourcing sector. The country had a nominal GDP of more than $494 billion in 2025, according to the IMF.

The conclusion of a Code of Conduct on the South China Sea between ASEAN and China is among the goals of Manila as chair. The 2026 deadline, decided upon by ASEAN foreign ministers back in 2023, comes after decades of slow negotiations since the signing of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea in 2002, and amid China’s continued harassment of Philippine vessels and fisherfolk in the West Philippine Sea despite the 2016 Hague ruling that favored the Philippines over China.

Singapore

Singapore, a founding member of the bloc, is the smallest country by land area in ASEAN, measuring approximately 735.7 square kilometers — only 74.2 sqare kilometrs larger than Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, which is considered to be a small province.

Despite its size, Singapore is the richest country in ASEAN, with a GDP per capita of over $90,000, according to the IMF’s 2025 estimates.

Unlike other ASEAN countries with predominant religions, Singapore is home to a variety of religions. In 2020, out of a population of 5.7 million, 31.1% are Buddhists, 18.9% are Christians, and 15.6% are Muslim, according to the 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom.

One of the ASEAN initiatives that Singapore actively contributes to is the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI), launched during its chairmanship in 2000 to narrow the development gap within the region, pledging $170 million since its inception, according to its Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Thailand

The ASEAN Declaration is also called the Bangkok Declaration because it was signed in Thailand, one of the bloc’s founding members. Thailand introduced the idea of a regional bloc after facilitating the resolution of disputes between Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

Thailand is the only country in ASEAN that was never colonized by European powers, largely due to its role of being a “buffer state” between formerly British-controlled Burma (now Myanmar) and what was then known as French Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia).

Thailand had a nominal GDP of more than $558 billion in 2025, according to the IMF. Its key exports include computer or electronic products and motor vehicles. Of its population of 69 million, 92.5% are Buddhist, according to the 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom.

Thailand’s border conflict with Cambodia is among the issues that are expected to be tackled at the ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting in Cebu City.

Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste was officially admitted to the bloc during the 47th ASEAN Summit Opening Ceremony in Malaysia on October 26, 2025, making it the 11th member of the organization.

After four centuries of Portuguese colonization and 24 years of Indonesian occupation, Timor-Leste officially gained independence in 2002. Timor-Leste has the highest percentage of Catholics in Asia, as 95% of its 1.4 million population are Catholics — a legacy of its colonizer.

Timor-Leste had a nominal GDP of $1.87 billion in 2024, according to the World Bank Group. Its key exports include oil, gas, and coffee. The country’s land size is 14,900 square kilometers.

Becoming an official ASEAN member state is anticipated to help Timor-Leste to have leverage in global affairs and improve its economy, as it is currently the smallest economy in the organization.

Vietnam

Vietnam joined ASEAN on July 28, 1995, officially becoming the organization’s seventh member. It is one of the two communist countries within the association.

The state was the first Indochinese country to join the bloc, promoting the integration of the other countries in ASEAN, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, in the 2001 Hanoi Declaration on Narrowing Development Gap for Closer ASEAN Integration.

Vietnam has a land size of 330,000 square kilometers and population of 101 million. Its nominal GDP was more than $484 billion in 2025, according to the IMF. Its top exports are textiles, clothing, and electronic products. 

Vietnam has led efforts in regional stability and security, including being one of the founding members of the ASEAN Regional Forum, a multilateral dialogue platform, and making constant efforts to put the South China Sea on the bloc’s agenda, alongside the Philippines. – Vicensa Nonato/Rappler.com

Vicensa Nonato, a Rappler intern, is a journalism student at the University of the Philippines Diliman. This story was reviewed by a Rappler reporter and desk editor.