Who had it good — and who had it bad — in 2024

In a area well-known for pure disasters that make world headlines, 2024 noticed the addition of 1000’s of “local weather casualties” throughout Asia. 

Not like 20 years in the past, when the devastating Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami of December 26, 2004 killed greater than 200,000 folks, 2024 was a 12 months of mounting casualties from typhoons, floods, warmth waves and droughts. 

In a single instance, Tremendous Hurricane Yagi, one of many strongest storms to hit Southeast Asia in years, left a path of loss of life and devastation in November. From the Philippines via southern China and Vietnam, and onto Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar, the storm killed lots of and devastated communities and livelihoods.  

Floods from the yearly monsoon rains additionally left hundreds of thousands stranded and lots of useless in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Nepal, making this 12 months one of many deadliest in latest reminiscence. And, if it was not record-breaking rainfall, it was drought accompanied by scorching temperatures resulting in months of extreme water shortages.

With excessive climate occasions seemingly extra the norm and their victims too typically more and more unnoticed and forgotten, the area’s local weather casualties garner the doubtful distinction of Worst Yr in Asia.  

The place have all of the infants gone? In most of East Asia, aspiring grandparents and different followers of recent born infants confronted one other robust 12 months in 2024. File-low fertility charges continued to show a significant concern in all main economies, together with in South Korea, China and Japan in addition to Taiwan and Hong Kong.  

Fertility charges remained effectively beneath the wanted degree for a secure if not rising inhabitants. The long-term financial penalties might effectively be important as nations take care of shrinking workforces and ageing populations. 

Girls throughout East Asia are having few to no youngsters. Altering gender roles, lengthy work hours, the excessive value of housing, training and childcare are all cited as a few of the elements behind this demographic pattern. 

At year-end, South Korea was additionally formally declared a “super-aged” society, an idea outlined by the United Nations, because the proportion of residents aged 65 or older now accounts for 20% of its inhabitants, in keeping with Korea’s Ministry of the Inside and Security.   

From India and Japan to South Korea and Indonesia, and Pakistan and Sri Lanka to Taiwan, elections dominated 2024. At 12 months’s finish, nevertheless, it has confirmed a decidedly blended 12 months for not simply incumbent politicians however for democracy itself.  

The 12 months started with Bangladesh’s long-time chief and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina retaining energy in an election boycotted by the opposition, solely to resign and flee the nation after weeks of pupil protests following the elections. 

Infamously, the 12 months ends with South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-Yeol declaring martial regulation eight months after his celebration misplaced huge typically elections, solely to see the Nationwide Meeting efficiently transfer each to power the lifting of martial regulation and to question him. The president’s destiny now sits with the Constitutional Court docket.  

But, elections cemented a vibrant democracy in Taiwan, pressured India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to control with a coalition, shocked the Pakistan incumbent, and heralded within the peaceable transition of presidential energy in Indonesia to former Normal Prabowo Subianto. Various, blended democratic trajectories for Asia’s democracies characterised 2024. 

Ok is for Korean. Whether or not you are listening to Ok-pop music, streaming a Ok-drama, attempting out the newest Ok-beauty product from Sulwhasoo, or choosing up Korean fried hen or different Ok-food, you’ve got succumbed to “Hallyu” — South Korea’s wave of wildly widespread cultural exports. 2024 proved an excellent 12 months for this increasing wave of enterprise that has grown effectively past celebrity musical teams BTS and Blackpink.  

To say that the feminine child pygmy hippopotamus named Moo Deng — Thai for “bouncy pork” — took the world by storm in 2024 can be an understatement. 

Born this July at Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo, the “hyper-viral” child pygmy has seen her memes, images and movies go world. 

Fan accounts on X, TikTok, and Fb proceed to  proliferate. And even NBC’s long-running U.S. comedy present “Saturday Night time Dwell” received in on the Moo Deng mania. Asian American star Bowen Yang impersonated the newborn hippo on the present’s “Weekend Replace” phase,  lamenting the hazards of immediate fame.

Including to her fame, Moo Deng appropriately predicted the winner of the 2024 U.S. presidential race, by deciding on the fruit and vegetable plate bearing Trump’s identify over that of rival Kamala Harris. 

2024 might need been the Yr of the Dragon within the lunar calendar, but it surely additionally was clearly the Yr of the Hippo within the hearts and minds of Moo Deng followers in Asia and past. For bringing a little bit of hope and pleasure to a area and world that might use much more good cheer, the designation of “Greatest Yr in Asia” for 2024 goes to Moo Deng.  

This is to a hopeful and joy-filled 2025.