Page - 1

Asia's demographic success story is, of course, associated with the stunning economic and social changes that have occurred during this period. There were big rises in real incomes and massive reductions in poverty levels as the region's economies shifted away
from a nearly total reliance on agriculture to increasing emphasis on modern urban-based industries. Big social changes occurred alongside spectacular economic growth. These include, in particular, the spread of basic education and the associated rise in literacy levels.

At the same time, it is hardly an exaggeration to say that the region's demographic transformation has made a real and significant contribution to what can be called the Asian miracle. As Asia's demographic transition gathered pace in the early 1970s, following the sharp reduction in mortality, especially of infants and children, the population growth rate peaked. Subsequently, as fertility decline gained momentum, the growth rate has almost halved, with the inertia of demographic momentum accounting for much of the current 1.3 per cent annual growth in population. Among the most populous countries, China has come closest to attaining population stabilization. Conversely, Pakistan's current population growth rate at 2.6 per cent implies a doubling of its population of 138.7 million by around the end of the first quarter of the new century. The other Asian population giants, India and Indonesia, are currently growing at an annual rate of around 1.5 per cent. However, their growth rates are expected to decline rapidly in the early decades of the twenty-first century.

Population growth rates in Asia, by sub region and most populous countries (per cent)

Next

* Contributed by: -
Manvendra Pratap Singh & Vishal Narlawar,
MBA (majoring in Marketing),
ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad.