More than 60% of the world’s population lives in Asia, home to 4.2 billion people and some of the world’s densest cities. But has this always been the case?
This map visualizes the relative population change in each Asian country between 1990 and 2023. Data for this graphic is sourced from the
UN’s World Population Prospects 2024, and all figures are rounded.
Zooming out, nearly every Asian country added significantly to their residents in the last three decades. This includes some of the world’s most populous countries like India (+62%), China (+24%), Indonesia (+50%), and Pakistan (+102%).
In fact India overtook China as the most populous country in 2023, and though both countries’ birth rates have been falling for decades, India’s population will continue to grow at a slower rate. Meanwhile, China’s has already begun to shrink.
Finally, only Armenia and Georgia—two transcontinental countries—saw their population declines in this time period. Conflict is the primary reason, leading to economic repercussions, in turn fueling an exodus of people.
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