This section examines the evolution of trade facilitation in ASEAN by drawing on the OECD TFIs to track progress over time. It highlights how AMS have advanced since the conclusion and then entry into force of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in 2017. The analysis identifies improvements across core areas of the TFIs, sheds light on individual AMS performance trajectories, and benchmarks ASEAN’s progress against other regions. Together, these insights help illustrate where ASEAN has made the most significant gains, where disparities persist, and how the region’s trade facilitation environment compares globally.
Facilitating Trade in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Insights from Recent OECD Trade Facilitation Indicators Trends
ASEAN has made notable progress over the last decade in the trade facilitation policy environment. This is reflected in the steady improvement in the OECD TFIs between 2012 and 2024 (Figure 3.1). The trade facilitation performance of the region has improved by 30% since the entry into force of the WTO TFA in 2017. More recently, between 2022 and 2024, procedural complexities and administrative hurdles at the border -- as measured by the average of all TFIs -- were reduced on average by 6%.
2 = maximum performance that can be achieved by area, 2012‑24
Note: A darker shade of blue indicates a higher trade facilitation performance in the respective policy area.
Source: OECD TFIs database, 2025 (https://sim.oecd.org/default.ashx?ds=TFI). Created with Flourish (https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/24633256/).
Significant policy improvements have been achieved in areas of information availability, simplification and harmonisation of trade-related documents, automation and streamlining of border procedures, and border agency co-operation. Over the last decade, improvements were also significant in the involvement of the trade community and advance rulings systems.
Implementation progressed in successive stages (2013‑15, 2017‑19, 2019 onwards). In the period immediately after the conclusion of the WTO TFA (2013‑15), the strongest progress was recorded in transparency and predictability (TFI A), alongside significant advances in simplifying trade documents (TFI F) and border procedures (TFI H). Reforms maintained momentum through the Agreement’s entry into force. Between 2017 and 2019 – following the entry into force of the WTO TFA – there was a further wave of progress, with notable gains in strengthening transparency through greater involvement of the trade community (TFI B), the establishment of advance ruling systems (TFI C), improvements in appeal procedures (TFI D), and further streamlining of fees and charges (TFI F) (Annex Figure A B.1).
Automation has been one of the most consistent areas of progress in trade facilitation over the past decade. Efforts in automation (TFI G) remained strong during and after the COVID‑19 pandemic. Between 2022 and 2024, automation reforms advanced by 7% – almost double the global average of 3.6% – underpinning the region’s resilience and underscoring its commitment to digitalisation.
Agency co-operation has emerged as the fastest-advancing dimension of trade facilitation since 2022. Developments in domestic (TFI I) and cross-border agency co-operation (TFI J) have been consistent with global trends. Yet the ASEAN region stands out: while global progress in external border agency co-operation averaged 6% since 2022, ASEAN has achieved a 37% improvement, highlighting the region’s strong push toward coordinated border management (Figure 3.2).
Percentage change by policy area, 2012‑24
Source: OECD TFIs database, 2025 (https://sim.oecd.org/default.ashx?ds=TFI). Created with Flourish (https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/24643647/).
AMS cut border bottlenecks by between 1.2% and 20% in 2022‑24 (Annex Figure A B.2). Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Viet Nam, and Lao PDR drove much of this momentum through stronger transparency and predictability, particularly in making trade information more accessible and engaging the business community. Indonesia, the Philippines, Lao PDR, and Cambodia also recorded notable strides in automating border processes, while Myanmar, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Viet Nam, and the Philippines made significant headway in streamlining border procedures. Crucially, all ASEAN economies improved border agency co-operation, with progress ranging between 8.6% and 55.6%.
Country-level performance is led by Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia (Figure 3.3). These rank not only as ASEAN’s top performers but also among the strongest across the wider Asia-Pacific. Moreover, Lao PDR, Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Viet Nam stand out as top ten reformers in the Asia-Pacific between 2022 and 2024, underscoring ASEAN’s collective reform dynamism (OECD, 2025[1]).
Average performance by year for each AMS, 2012‑24
Note: 2 is the maximum performance that can be achieved on average.
Source: OECD TFIs database, 2025 (https://sim.oecd.org/default.ashx?ds=TFI). Created with Flourish (https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/24647548/).
Persistent bottlenecks remain in the simplification and harmonisation of trade-related documents and automation of border processes. Progress in automation is particularly hindered by interoperability gaps, regulatory fragmentation, and uneven adoption of digital standards across ASEAN. While border agency co-operation stands out as the fastest-improving area since 2022, it started from a low base and holds the greatest potential for further improvement. These areas will require sustained political commitment and regional coordination in the years ahead.
Performance across ASEAN remains uneven, with sharper gaps in some policy areas than others (Figure 3.4). Variation in performance appears more limited in border agency co-operation, information availability, governance and impartiality, and streamlining of border procedures. But differences widen considerably when it comes to engaging the trade community, implementing appeal procedures, simplifying and harmonising trade-related documents, advancing automation, and rolling out advance rulings systems.
Minimum, maximum and standard deviation in ASEAN average performance by indicator, 2024
Note: 2 is the maximum performance that can be achieved by indicator.
Source: OECD TFIs database, 2025 (https://sim.oecd.org/default.ashx?ds=TFI). Created with Flourish (https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/24648039/).
The reduction in procedural complexity and administrative hurdles at the border is higher in ASEAN in 2022‑24 (6%) than the Asia-Pacific average (4.4%). This reduction is also higher than in other regions such as Europe and Central Asia (3.1%) and the Americas (4.4%) (OECD, 2025[1]).
ASEAN average trade facilitation performance also exceeds that of the Asia-Pacific region (Figure 3.5). Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam all exceed the Asia-Pacific region’s average performance. Cambodia is on par with the Asia-Pacific regional average, while Lao PDR and Myanmar are below the region’s performance. Singapore not only exceeds the average performance of other regions such as Europe and Central Asia, but its performance is also above the OECD average.
2 = maximum performance that can be achieved by area, 2024
Note: 2 is the maximum performance for each of the three main policy areas (transparency and predictability; automating and streamlining documents and processes; border agency co-operation). Transparency and predictability are based on the average scores of TFI (A) Information availability, TFI (B) Involvement of the trade community, TFI (C) Advance rulings, TFI (D) Appeal procedures, and TFI (E) Fees and charges. Automating and streamlining trade-related documents and processes is based on the average of TFI (F) Formalities – documents, TFI (G) Formalities – automation, and TFI (H) Formalities – procedures. Border agency co-operation is based on the average of TFI (I) Internal border agency co-operation and TFI (J) External border agency co-operation.
Source: OECD TFIs database, 2025 (https://sim.oecd.org/default.ashx?ds=TFI). Created with Flourish (https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/24760595/).