The line chart illustrates the proportion of urban citizens in four Asian countries from 1970 to 2020, with projections for 2030 and 2040.
Overall, urban populations in all four countries rose considerably over the period and are expected to continue rising in 2030 and 2040.
Malaysia has recorded the highest proportion since 2000, while Indonesia, which started with the lowest figure, experienced the most dramatic growth and overtook both Thailand and the Philippines by 2010.
Starting at 30% in 1970, the percentage of urban people in Malaysia increased rapidly to more than 70% in 2020, and is predicted to reach over 80% by 2040. By contrast, the Philippines had the highest urban population at the beginning of the period, at around 33%, but this figure fluctuated over the following decades, reaching approximately 50% in 2000 before gradually increasing to a predicted peak of 58% in 2040. Thailand’s urban population accounted for about 18% in 1970, remained quite stable in the following five decades, and is expected to rise more rapidly after 2020, reaching around 50% by 2040. Indonesia started with the lowest figure, at approximately 14%, but its urban population rose dramatically over the next 40 years, surpassing both the Philippines and Thailand in 2010 and reaching over 50% in 2020.