Who did well and who did poorly in 2024?

In a region known for natural disasters that make headlines around the world, 2024 saw thousands of “climate casualties” 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, heat waves and droughts.

For 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, to Laos, Thailand and Myanmar, the storm killed hundreds of people and devastated communities and livelihoods.

Floods caused by annual monsoon rains also left millions of people 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 a drought accompanied by scorching temperatures that led to months of severe water shortages.

As extreme weather events seem to become more of the norm and their victims all too often go unnoticed and forgotten, the region’s climate casualties earn the dubious distinction of Worst Year in Asia.

Where have all the babies gone? Across most of East Asia, would-be grandparents and other fans of newborn babies faced another difficult year in 2024. Record-low fertility rates continued to be a major concern in all major economies, including South Korea , China and Japan, as well as Taiwan. and Hong Kong.

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

Women throughout East Asia have few or no children. Changes in gender roles, long work hours, the high cost of housing, education and childcare are 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, as the proportion of citizens aged 65 or older currently represents 20% of its population, according to the Korean Ministry. the Interior and Security.

From India and Japan to South Korea and Indonesia, and from Pakistan and Sri Lanka to Taiwan, elections dominated the year 2024. However, by the end of the year it has turned out to be a decidedly mixed year not only for the politicians in power but also for democracy itself.

The year began when Bangladesh’s leader and prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, retained power in an election boycotted by the opposition, only to resign and flee the country after weeks of post-election student protests.

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

However, the elections cemented a vibrant democracy in Taiwan, forced Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to govern with a coalition, surprised the current president of Pakistan and announced the peaceful transition of presidential power in Indonesia to former general Prabowo Subianto. The year 2024 was characterized by diverse and mixed democratic trajectories for Asian democracies.

K is for Korean. Whether you’re listening to K-pop music, streaming a K-drama, trying Sulwhasoo’s latest K-beauty product, or buying Korean fried chicken or other K food, you’ve succumbed to the “Hallyu” — South Wave of Wildly Popular Cultural Exports from Korea. 2024 turned out to be a good year for this wave of expanding businesses that has grown far beyond superstar music groups BTS and Blackpink.

To say that the baby pygmy hippo named Moo Deng (which is Thai for “jumping pig”) took the world by storm in 2024 would be an understatement.

Born in July at Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo, the “hyperviral” pygmy baby has seen her memes, photos and videos go global.

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

Adding to his fame, Moo Deng correctly predicted the winner of the 2024 US presidential race, selecting the fruit and vegetable dish named after Trump over that of his rival Kamala Harris.

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

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