Canada’s economy expanded 0.5% in April, the fastest monthly pace since July 2025, rebounding from a mild contraction that had pushed the country into a technical recession in the first quarter. Statistics Canada reported that the gain was led by a surge in oil and gas extraction as synthetic crude production recovered from unscheduled maintenance, but growth was broad-based: manufacturing, construction, and transportation all posted gains, and real estate activity picked up for the first time since August 2025 on stronger home sales in the Greater Toronto Area. An early estimate points to a further 0.1% expansion in May, suggesting the recovery is moderating but holding.

Morocco’s economy also showed vigour at the start of 2026. Domestic demand rose 6.5% in the first quarter, contributing 6.9 percentage points to national growth, up from 5.3 points a year earlier, according to the High Commission for Planning. Household consumption grew 4.6% and public administration spending 4.9%, while gross investment remained dynamic at 10.8%, even as its pace eased. National savings reached 31.4% of GDP, and with GDP up 5.7%, gross national disposable income rose 6.8%, leaving a modest financing need of 1.5% of GDP.

In Southeast Asia, the focus is shifting from immediate growth figures to the data infrastructure that will shape future policy. Indonesia’s statistics agency is preparing for the 2026 Economic Census, a door-to-door enumeration of businesses and households scheduled from 15 June to 31 August. Officials in Depok and Jakarta stress that accurate, granular data from the census will underpin regional development programmes and ensure that policies—from infrastructure to MSME support—are based on actual economic structures rather than estimates. The exercise has secured formal commitments from local governments, including a charter signed by the mayor of Depok, to guarantee participation and data confidentiality.

At the same time, Indonesian lawmakers are cautioning that ambitious growth targets in the 2027 state budget—set at 5.8% to 6.5%—require more than statistical exercises. Members of the parliamentary finance commission warn that weakening middle-class purchasing power, a large informal workforce, and declining investment efficiency, reflected in a high incremental capital output ratio, must be addressed through structural reform and a more competitive investment climate. Without such measures, they argue, the targets risk remaining aspirational.

Malaysia offers a parallel narrative of data-driven ambition. The IMF reports that nominal GDP per capita crossed the $15,000 threshold in 2026, and analysts in Kuala Lumpur are now charting a path to $20,000 by the early 2030s. Under a baseline scenario of 5% annual growth in per capita income, the milestone would be reached around 2032, though a 7% trajectory could bring it as early as 2030. The chief economist at Juwai IQI notes that productivity gains, not just headline GDP, will determine whether Malaysia consolidates its transition to a high-income economy. The next factual milestones to watch are Canada’s final May GDP print, the start of Indonesia’s census fieldwork in mid-2026, and Malaysia’s quarterly productivity data, which will test the durability of these growth paths.