The provided line graph illustrates the proportion of city dwellers in four different countries namely the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia between 1970 and 2020, as well as giving estimations on future trends.
Overall, if predictions are correct, all examined countries will witness their urban populations increasing significantly, with Indonesia registering the most pronounced growth, although this country initially had the lowest figure.
Looking first at the Philippines and Malaysia, the former had about 32% of its population residing in cities, slightly ahead of the figure for the latter. Thereafter, the Malaysian urban demographic increased drastically, officially exceeding that of the Philippines from 1991 onwards. This increasing trend is predicted to continue until 2040, at which point it is estimated that 85% of the Malaysian population will be living in urban areas. Unlike Malaysia whose pattern is consistent, the Philippines shows more fluctuations. After reaching roughly 50%, the proportion of city inhabitants in this country fell drastically by about 10% in 2010. This trend, nevertheless, was short-lived, because it was followed by a recovery to 45% a decade later. Predictions show that the urban population of the Philippines will continue rising to hit a peak of over 50% by 2040. Notwithstanding this recovery, this country is still forecast to fall from first to third place in the chart given.
Turning to the remaining nations, it is notable that the trajectory observed in Indonesia mirrors the one seen in Malaysia. Albeit with the lowest starting point of about 12%, Indonesia showed rapid rises in its urban cohort, surpassing Thailand since 2000 and the Philippines since 2010. Indonesia is projected to become the country with the second-highest urban population, with figures of around 60% in 2030 and 2040, up from nearly 50% in 2020. Finally, Thailand generally displays the lowest figures, leaving aside the period from 1970 to 2000. Commencing at nearly 20%, its urban cohort had increased to just shy of 30% by 1990, and it leveled off there until 2020. Interestingly, this demographic will expectedly have surged to 40% by 2030 and further 45% by 2040. Still, this growth seems insufficient to grant this country a higher position in the graph.