Asia—consisting of Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Western Asia—is the world’s most populous region, home to the two largest countries in the world: China and India. Asia’s overall population is projected to see an increase of 15% from 4.6 billion in 2020 to 5.3 billion in 2050. However, the pattern of future population change varies within the region from a 3% decline in the total population of East Asia to a 38% increase in Western Asia during the same period. Asia’s total fertility rate (TFR) is below replacement level at 2.0. A total fertility rate of 2.1 is replacement level fertility, the average number of children a couple needs to have to replace themselves. TFR ranges from 1.5 in East Asia to 2.8 in Central Asia. Likewise, the shares of older adults (ages 65 and older) in the population ranges from 5% in Central Asia to 14% in East Asia.
Percent of married women