Asia's twentieth-century population explosion, which brought over 3.6 billion people, roughly three-fifths of the world's total, was really a health explosion driven almost entirely by falling mortality and rising life expectancy. Between 1950 and 2000 the region's population multiplied by a factor of 2.5, a scale and tempo without historical precedent. Western press concern verged on hysteria, with many fretting that Asia might dominate the world through sheer numbers. Yet that boom is essentially over. Over the past three decades fertility has dropped 40 to 60 percent, and sub-replacement fertility is becoming the norm across East Asia, Southeast Asia, and parts of South and Central Asia. Russia has recorded more deaths than births every year for a decade. It is therefore no longer accurate to speak of unprecedented population growth. Even small percentage changes matter over time: in 1975 Russia had nearly twice Pakistan's population, but by 2025 Pakistan will have just over twice Russia's. Population shifts reshape the balance of power, so the fear of overpopulation gives way to demographic change with global consequences.