Line chart illustrating the proportion of citizens in four Asian countries, including the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia, from 1970 to 2020, with projections for 2030 and 2040.
Overall, there is clearly an upward trend in all countries, with the highest population in Malaysia and the lowest population in Thailand.
During the first 10 years of this process, most countries experienced stable population growth, except for the Philippines, where the population leveled off at about 30%. However, the Philippine population peaked at 50% in 1990. And then for the next 20 years, citizens of the Philippines and Indonesia had equal figures. There is a significant increase in population in Malaysia and Indonesia. Following that in 2020, Malaysia increased to 75% and Indonesia jumped to about 53% of the population. Accordingly, experts expect that in the next 20 years, from 2020 onwards to 2040, the proportion of the population living in cities of Malaysia; the Philippines; Thailand, and Indonesia will continue to have an increasing trend each year.
Overall, Malaysia is estimated to have the highest percentage of the population over the same period. Whereas, Indonesia will be at second highest despite being the lowest initially. On the other hand, the Philipines and Thailand fluctuated over the period and are estimated to be the second lowest and lowest respectively.