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Population estimates for the year 2025 for each country in Tropical Asia are
given in Table 11-1, based on figures from WRI
(1996); with the exception of Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines,
the populations of these countries are predominantly rural. By 2025, the region's
total population is expected to grow from the present 1.6 billion to about 2.4
billion, with the largest increases expected in urban areas. In 1995, 6 of the
world's 25 largest cities were located in Tropical Asia: Bombay (#5), Calcutta
(#9), Jakarta (#11), Delhi (#17), Manila (#21), and Dhaka (#23); in terms of
average annual growth rates during 1990-95, Dhaka was first (5.74%), Jakarta
third (4.35%), and Bombay fifth (4.22%) among the 25 cities (see Table
11-2). In these and other cities of the region, rapid urban growth has been
accompanied by a proliferation of slums and squatter settlements without access
to basic infrastructure, clean water, and sanitation, with associated health
risks (UNEP, 1997).
Rapid economic development and industrialization have characterized the economies
of the region in recent years. In some countries (particularly in southeast
Asia), there has been considerable expansion in the use of natural resources-including
the exploitation of forests and fisheries, which has resulted in increasing
environmental degradation.
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