We estimate Asia adopts new technologies 8-12 years ahead of the West, making it much like a time machine to the future. While its infrastructure has historically been underdeveloped relative to the West’s, Asia’s high internet connectivity, young and increasingly affluent and urban demographics, and entrepreneurial spirit have driven the region to adopt many technologies at a faster pace. In doing so, Asia provides a glimpse of what the future could look like in more developed, Western economies.

Can you always spot disruptive innovation? When we hear the story of how the invention of the automobile hastened the demise of buggy whip companies, we often question why the disruptive potential of gas-powered cars wasn’t noticed. In the modern era, most people buying digital cameras in the 1990s would have scoffed at the idea that in a few years’ time, we would all be carrying around cameras in our mobile phones.

We estimate Asia adopts new technologies 8-12 years ahead of the West, making it much like a time machine to the future. While its infrastructure has historically been underdeveloped relative to the West’s, Asia’s high internet connectivity, young and increasingly affluent and urban demographics, and entrepreneurial spirit have driven the region to adopt many technologies at a faster pace. In doing so, Asia provides a glimpse of what the future could look like in more developed, Western economies.