New Delhi, Oct. 5 -- In a stark contrast, the current account divergence between North and Southeast Asia is widening amid the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. Northeast Asia is seeing a current account surplus, with the reading surging to a record high of $538 billion, based on the 12-month sum to July 2026. On the other hand, current account deficits across parts of Southeast Asia have increased.

A current account surplus is seen when a country has a positive current account balance, indicating that it exports more than imports. Conversely, a current account deficit occurs when a country's total payments for imported goods, services and income exceeds its total earnings from exports and receipts from abroad.

Southeast Asia lags

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