Asian cities are home to over half of the world’s urban population, or 1.76 billion people (2010 figures). With such a large demographic base, Asia is urbanizing rapidly, and recorded the fastest urban growth across all regions in the world, from 31.5 percent of the population living in cities to 42.2 percent between 1990 and 2010. Estimates show that Asia will reach 50 percent urbanization in 2026. Notwithstanding these striking statistics, Asia is still predominantly rural; 57.8 percent of its population lived in the countryside in 2010 (compared to 60 percent in Africa, the least urbanized region).

Asian urbanization has some unique defining features, but two are worth noting here. First, Asian cities are in a constant state of flux, particularly given the scale of their demographic expansion. From 1990 to 2010, the Asian urban population increased by over 754 million people, equal to the combined population of the United States and the European Union. No other continent has experienced such population growth in such a short period.