A free trade zone of the Indonesia–Malaysia–Singapore Growth Triangle, the Riau Islands has experienced rapid industrialisation since the 1970s. The Riau Islands is one of the country's most prosperous provinces, having a GDP per capita of () as of 2011, the fourth highest among all provinces in Indonesia after East Kalimantan, Jakarta and Riau."[Seri 2010 Produk Domestik Regional Bruto Per Kapita Atas Dasar Harga Berlaku Menurut Provinsi, 2010–2016 (Ribu Rupiah)"]. Badan Pusat Statistik. Diakses pada tanggal 27 November 2017. In addition, as of 2018, the Riau Islands has a Human Development Index of 0.748, also the fourth highest among all provinces in Indonesia after Jakarta, Special Region of Yogyakarta and East Kalimantan.
