Asia, today, accounts for 59% of the total world population, and for an annual addition of 55 millions to it. The population of Asia is expected to exceed 3.5 billion by the year 2000(1). Thus to speak of Asia is to speak of nearly two thirds of Mankind. To the students of demography and "development", Asia presents fascinating contrasts. It has within its borders, on the one hand, the two biggest countries of the world -- China and India, which between themselves account for nearly 2 billion people today; and, on the other, some of the worlds' smallest states like Bhutan and Singapore. The countries of Asia, between themselves, also constitute a very wide spectrum on the economic developmental scale. Thus, while Asia can, today boast of at least one of its countries being in the "Big League" wielding an economic strength that surpasses those of the countries of North America and Europe, it is unfortunately also the home of some of the poorest countries of the world. Thus, Asia and its peoples are by no means a homogenous entity. The challenges that confront different Asian countries therefore, are not all of the same order, nor indeed of the same kind. Most countries of Asia (except Japan) however come broadly under the category of "developing countries" and belong to the so-called Third World; and it is to this category of poor developing countries of Asia that many of the following observations will apply.
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