Mapping Asia’s Population Change Over Three Decades (1990–2023)

Mapping Asia’s Population Change Over Three Decades

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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.

Ranked: Asian Countries by Population Growth (1990–2023)

Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia, are some of the leaders among Asian countries with the highest population growth since 1990. The Gulf region has seen an influx of foreign workers since the 1970s oil shock. Subsequent economic diversification into manufacturing, construction, and tourism created jobs that nationals were less likely to do, leading to immigrants from neighboring South Asia to fill the gaps.

However, how these workers have been treated has led to several investigations into human rights abuses. Some estimations said nearly 4,000 migrants died during the construction of soccer (football) stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar.

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.

The Upsides and Downsides of Large Populations

Asia’s economic growth, particularly in China and India, has been fueled by this surging demand for goods and services. In fact, the continent now has the highest share of world GDP (36%), eclipsing second-largest North America (31%) by five percentage points.

At the same time, many parts of the continent are still struggling with food insecurity, poverty, and civil strife. Persistently high youth unemployment also signals that creating jobs for just a large populace remains a big challenge.

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Wondering what this map looks like for other regions in the world? Check out Mapped: Population Change in the Americas (1990–2023) for a similar breakdown.