However, the figure is still much higher than those for Europe (5.3 TEU) and North America (2.7 TEU). The South-East Asian subregion has the highest figure in Asia and the Pacific at 35.1 TEU per $1 million of GDP, whereas the North and Central Asian subregion has the smallest figure at 2.1 TEU. All subregions in Asia and the Pacific have experienced solid growth of between 8 and 12 per cent per annum in their air transport passenger numbers, with the exception being the Pacific subregion, which still grew, but by a modest per cent. Within the concept of STI, importance is placed not only on developing and utilizing new technologies, but also on learning to use existing technologies, enhancing local absorption capacity and transferring knowledge to meet the needs of cross sections of society.