The line graph displays data about the percentage of the population in four Asian countries residing in cities from 1970 to 2020, with predictions for 2030 and 2040.
Overall, all the four countries experienced a considerable growth in the percentages of their populations living in urban areas. Although the number of city dwellers in Indonesia was the lowest in 1970, toward the end of the given period it became the second largest.
In 1970, the Philippines and Malaysia had equal percentages of people living in cities (around 30%). In the following 20 years, the numbers fluctuated from 30% to 50%, and starting from 1990 the proportion of city residents in Malaysia started to grow. This trend continued up to 2020, and is expected to increase up to 80% by the end of the period. In contrast, the percentage of city dwellers in the Philippines experienced a fall to 40%, but is predicted to rise to 50% by 2040.
From 1970 to 1990, the percentages of people living in Thailand’s and Indonesia’s cities grew steadily, starting with slightly under 20% and 12%, respectively. Then, in 2000, they both reached the same proportion (around 30%), and are expected to increase further. Nevertheless, the growth in Thailand is not as significant as that in Indonesia.