The chart below illustrates the proportions of the population of urban residents in four countries over 50 years, with the forecast for 2030 and 2040.
Overall, all four countries experienced an upward trend in urban population from 1970 to 2020, along with a forecast of significant percentage growth in the future.
At the beginning of the period, the proportion of urban residents in Malaysia was around 30%, and the same was true for the Philippines as well. By the end of the half century, that is, by 2020, the percentage of Malaysia had significantly increased to 75%, whereas in the Philippines, a dramatic change was observed; in the year 1990, the percentage had been the highest, at around 50%, but by the year 2020, the rate had fallen to 45%.
In Indonesia, while around 15% lived in cities in 1970, in 2020, the numbers stood at 50%. In Thailand, the proportions were around 20% of the urban residents, which had risen to around 30% by 2020, but was the least among the proportions of all three other countries.
Overall, in the next 20 years, growth is expected to slow in countries where cities are home to 9 out of 10 individuals, rising by no more than 10%. Thailand, however, has risen by 15% in the next two decades.