Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago

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Singapore’s economy shocked many analysts in the first quarter of 2026.

While the world was bracing for a Middle East energy shock, Singapore’s real GDP grew by 6.0 percent year-on-year. The reason was not that Singapore was immune to global risks. It was because Singapore was strongly positioned in the one part of the global economy that was still booming: artificial intelligence.

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Brought to you by the Behind Asian Team.

Source list for YouTube description

Singapore Department of Statistics / MTI — “MTI Maintains 2026 GDP Growth Forecast at 2.0 to 4.0 Per Cent”
MTI — Economic Survey of Singapore First Quarter 2026
Enterprise Singapore — Review of 1Q 2026 Trade Performance
MAS — Monetary Policy Statement, April 2026
MOF — Ministerial Statement on Impact of the Middle East Situation on Singapore
MTI — DPM Gan Kim Yong’s Ministerial Statement on the Middle East Situation
EMA — Natural Gas in Singapore
Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department — Q1 2026 GDP Advance Estimates
China National Bureau of Statistics — First Quarter 2026 Economic Data
Taiwan DGBAS — GDP Preliminary Estimate for 2026 Q1
MAS — Macroeconomic Review, April 2026
Reuters — Helium Shortage and Tech Supply Chains