This Asia-Pacific Human Development Report breaks new ground in the way in which it links demography with human development. It explores how periods of demographic transition come with significant opportunities, but also risks.
People are the real wealth of nations. The opportunities they have and the choices they make determine the course of human development—nowhere more so than in Asia-Pacific, home to half the world’s population. Asia-Pacific’s future, to a large extent, shapes the world’s future.
This Asia-Pacific Human Development Report breaks new ground in the way in which it links demography with human development. It explores how periods of demographic transition come with significant opportunities, but also risks. Countries which overlook both these do so at their peril, missing out on potentially large gains in human well-being and economic prosperity. The report emphasizes that policy makers need to understand the implications of a demographic transition, and be able to incorporate appropriate responses to it across all aspects of national development planning.
