Programs & Projects

The Power and Diplomacy Program

Asia Power Index

The Lowy Institute Asia Power Index is an analytical tool for sharpening debate on power in the Asia-Pacific. The Index ranks 26 countries and territories in terms of their power, reaching as far west as Pakistan, as far north as Russia, and as far into the Pacific as Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Explore state power across eight measures and 133 indicators. Plot the distribution of power in Asia on an interactive map. Compare variations in performance within and between countries. Adjust the principal weightings of the Index. And drill down into hundreds of unique country data points and findings.

Experts
Latest publications
News and media
Managing Asia’s bipolar disorder
Commentary
Managing Asia’s bipolar disorder
US standing is up, China has been dragged down and middle nations have seen a steady decline in their influence, according to the latest Lowy Institute Asia Power Index…
Covid in Asia: the immediate payoff of donating vaccines
Covid in Asia: the immediate payoff of donating vaccines
Covid-19 has loomed large over everything again this year and the new Omicron variant is a warning that there is still plenty of fight left in the virus. But the pandemic is…
Asia Power Index 2021
Interactives
Asia Power Index 2021
The annual Asia Power Index measures resources and influence to assess the relative power of states in Asia. It is an analytical tool that ranks 26 countries and territories in…
COVIDcast: 2020 Asia Power Index
Podcasts
COVIDcast: 2020 Asia Power Index
In this episode of COVIDcast, Sam Roggeveen, Director of the Lowy Institute’s International Security Program, sits down with the two leading researchers behind the Lowy Institute…
2020 Asia Power Index Key Findings Report
Analyses
2020 Asia Power Index Key Findings Report
The annual Asia Power Index — launched by the Lowy Institute in 2018 — measures resources and influence to rank the relative power of states in Asia. The project maps out the…
Emerging from COVID: Policy Responses to the Pandemic
Policy Briefs
Emerging from COVID: Policy Responses to the Pandemic
Lowy Institute experts provide policy recommendations for Australia to address issues that are critical to our nation's — and the world's — successful emergence from the pandemic.
Unpacking the Asia Power Index – Podcast out today
Unpacking the Asia Power Index – Podcast out today
This week on the Rules Based Audio podcast: power in Asia. Who’s got it, who’s losing it, and who’s using what they’ve got in the smartest way? The world’s geopolitical centre of…
Five big takeaways from the 2019 Asia Power Index
Five big takeaways from the 2019 Asia Power Index
Global wealth and power are shifting eastwards. In parallel, we are moving from an open and consensual international order to one defined more by…
Why North Korea is in no hurry to do what the US wants
Commentary
Why North Korea is in no hurry to do what the US wants
Meeting in Singapore last month, US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un captured the world's attention and promised to work towards “new relations”. Why…
Australian Financial Review
26 April 2024
Australian Associated Press
21 April 2023
Australian Financial Review
21 April 2023