DHAKA: Almost 200 million people in East Asia moved to urban areas in the decade up to 2010, the World Bank said on Monday, creating a massive challenge to the region’s planners.

About 36 percent of people in the region, which under the World Bank’s definition includes North-east and South-east Asia, were living in urban areas as of 2010, up from 29 per cent ten years before.

This suggests the region will see decades more of further population shifts, it said in a report released on Monday, reports The Straits Times.

The report contains data gathered through satellite imagery and ‘geospatial’ mapping which the bank said should help planners ensure that policies will benefit a larger number of those moving to cities, especially the poor.

‘For the first time, the data compares urban areas and their population in a consistent manner across East Asia, providing governments and local leaders with a better understanding of the shape and scale of the growth so they can get urbanisation right - creating opportunities for all,’ the bank said.

BDST: 1600 HRS, JAN 26, 2015