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

In a region well known for natural disasters making global headlines, 2024 has seen the addition of thousands of “climate victims” across Asia..

Unlike 20 years ago, when the devastating Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami of December 26, 2004 killed more than 200,000 people, 2024 was a year of increasing casualties from typhoons, floods, waves of heat and drought.

In one example, Super Typhoon Yagi, one of the strongest storms to hit Southeast Asia in years, left a trail of death and devastation in November. From the Philippines through southern China and Vietnam, and into Laos, Thailand and Myanmar, the storm killed hundreds and devastated communities and livelihoods.

Floods from the annual monsoon rains have also left millions stranded and hundreds dead in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Nepal, making this year one of the deadliest in recent memory. And if it wasn’t record rainfall, it was drought accompanied by scorching temperatures that led to months of severe water shortages.

With extreme weather events seemingly more the norm and their victims all too often increasingly unnoticed and forgotten, the region’s climate casualties earn the dubious distinction of Worst Year in Asia.

Where have all the children gone? In much of East Asia, aspiring grandparents and other fans of new-born children faced another tough year in 2024. Record-low fertility rates continued to prove a major concern in all major economies, including in South Korea, China and Japan and Taiwan. and Hong Kong.

Fertility rates have been well below the level needed for a stable, if not growing, population. The long-term economic consequences could be significant as nations grapple with shrinking workforces and aging populations.

Women in East Asia have few or no children. Changing gender roles, long working hours, the high cost of housing, education and childcare are all cited as some of the factors behind this demographic trend.

At the end of the year, South Korea was also officially declared a “super-aged” society, a concept defined by the United Nations, since the proportion of citizens aged 65 or older is now 20% of its population, according to the Korean Ministry of the Interior and Security.

From India and Japan to South Korea and Indonesia, and Pakistan and Sri Lanka to Taiwan, the election dominated 2024. At the end of the year, however, it showed a decidedly mixed year for not only the politicians in office, but for democracy itself.

The year began with Bangladesh’s long-time leader and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina retaining power in an election boycotted by the opposition, only to resign and flee the country after weeks of student protests following the elections

Infamously, the year ended with South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol declaring martial law eight months after his party lost heavily in the general election, only to see the National Assembly move successfully. both to force the lifting of martial law and to impeach him. The president’s fate is now up to the Constitutional Court.

However, the election cemented a vibrant democracy in Taiwan, forced the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to govern with a coalition, surprised the Pakistani incumbent, and announced the peaceful transition of presidential power in Indonesia to former General Prabowo Subianto. Diverse and mixed democratic trajectories for Asia’s democracies have characterized 2024.

K is for Korean. Whether you’re listening to K-pop music, streaming a K-drama, trying out the latest K-beauty product from Sulwhasoo, or grabbing Korean fried chicken or other K-food, you’ve succumbed to “Hallyu” – South. The wave of cultural exports very popular in Korea. 2024 proved to be a good year for this expanding wave of business that has grown far beyond superstar music groups BTS and Blackpink.

To say that the female pygmy hippopotamus named Moo Deng – Thai for “bouncy pig” – took the world by storm in 2024 would be an understatement.

Born this July at Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo, the “hyper-viral” pygmy has seen his memes, photos and videos go global.

Fan accounts on X, TikTok and Facebook continue to proliferate. And even NBC’s long-running US comedy series “Saturday Night Live” picked up the Moo Deng craze. Asian American star Bowen Yang impersonated the baby hippo in the show’s “Weekend Update” segment, lamenting the perils of instant fame.

Adding to his fame, Moo Deng correctly predicted the winner of the 2024 US presidential race, choosing the fruit and vegetable dish bearing Trump’s name over that of rival Kamala Harris.

2024 might be the Year of the Dragon in the lunar calendar, but it was also clearly the Year of the Hippo in the hearts and minds of Moo Deng’s fans in Asia and beyond. For bringing some hope and joy to a region and the world that could use a lot more good joy, the designation of “Best Year in Asia” for 2024 goes to Moo Deng.

Here’s to a 2025 full of hope and joy.