Who did well – and who did poorly – in 2024

In a region known for natural disasters making global headlines, in 2024. thousands of “climate casualties” have increased in 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.

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

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

As extreme weather events seem more the norm and their victims all too often go unnoticed and forgotten, the region’s climate toll has earned the dubious reputation of being Asia’s worst year.

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

Fertility rates remain 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 throughout East Asia have few or no children. Changing gender roles, long working hours, high costs of housing, education and childcare have been cited as some of the factors behind this demographic trend.

At the end of the year, South Korea was also officially declared an “over-aged” society, a concept defined by the United Nations, as the proportion of citizens aged 65 or older now stands at 20% of the population, according to the Korean Ministry of the Interior and safety.

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

The year began with Bangladesh’s longtime 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 post-election student protests.

Infamously, the year ended with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declaring martial law eight months after his party suffered a heavy loss in the general election, only to see the National Assembly succeed in forcing the lifting of martial law and impeaching him. The fate of the president is now being decided by the Constitutional Court.

Yet the election cemented a vibrant democracy in Taiwan, forced Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to govern with a coalition, surprised Pakistan’s sitting president and announced the peaceful transfer of presidential power in Indonesia to former general Prabowo Subianto. Diverse, mixed democratic trajectories for Asian democracies characterize 2024.

K is for Korean. Whether you’re listening to K-pop music, streaming 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 Korea’s wave of wildly popular cultural export. 2024 turned out to be a good year for this expanding wave of business that surpassed superstar music groups BTS and Blackpink.

To say that a female baby pygmy hippopotamus named Mu Deng — Thai for “bouncing pig” — took the world by storm in 2024 would be an understatement.

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

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

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

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

Here’s to a 2025 filled with hope and joy.