What is BIMP-EAGA?  

The Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area, or BIMP-EAGA, is a cooperation initiative established in 1994 to spur development in remote and less developed areas in the four participating Southeast Asian countries.

Map of Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area. Source: Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The subregion covers the entire sultanate of Brunei Darussalam; the provinces of Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, and West Papua of Indonesia; the states of Sabah and Sarawak and the Federal Territory of Labuan in Malaysia; and the island of Mindanao and the province of Palawan in the Philippines. These areas are geographically far from the national capitals, yet strategically close to each other. These states and provinces account for over 60% of the land area of the BIMP-EAGA countries; yet they make up about 19.2% of the total population and 16.6% of the labor force.

Through BIMP-EAGA, the four countries want to generate balanced and inclusive growth as well as contribute to regional economic integration in the ASEAN Economic Community. They want to boost trade, tourism, and investments by easing the movement of people, goods, and services across borders; making the best use of common infrastructure and natural resources; and taking the fullest advantage of economic complementation.

Thanks to strong ownership and commitment, as demonstrated by the financial, human and technical resources put in by the member governments, BIMP-EAGA has grown over the last 3 decades.

In 2023, BIMP-EAGA’s gross domestic product (GDP) reached $401.6 billion, contributing 18.2% to the combined GDP of its four member countries. From 2017 to 2023, inter- and extra-EAGA exports (excluding intra-EAGA trade) totaled $674 billion, while cumulative foreign direct investment inflows surpassed expectations at $93.4 billion. During the same period, domestic tourist arrivals in the subregion (excluding Brunei Darussalam) reached an impressive 593.4 million. Although foreign visitor numbers were comparatively lower, they remained a crucial driver of the subregion’s economic growth.

As of 15 May 2025, BIMP-EAGA’s rolling pipeline of priority infrastructure projects (PIPs) has almost quadrupled to 217 from 57 in 2017 when BIMP-EAGA Vision 2025 was adopted. Planned investments in infrastructure have increased to an estimated $66.99 billion from $21.4 billion and focus on improving regional connectivity (e.g., transport, energy and power, information and communications, trade facilitation), which is a driver of economic and inclusive growth across the subregion. Of the 217 PIPs, 60 (28%) have been completed, and 157 projects are in various stages of implementation. The PIPs provide farmers and fisherfolk improved access to markets, deliver reliable energy to rural communities, catalyze trade in border areas, and boost tourist arrivals.