In Asia, a region housing over 3.6 billion people as of mid-2000, roughly three-fifths of the global population, dramatic shifts in population dynamics are unfolding with unprecedented intensity. Seven of the world's ten most populous countries, including China, India, and Japan, lie within this vast area. The last century saw a population explosion in Asia, driven by a health explosion with declining mortality and significant improvements in life expectancy. Between 1950 and 2000, the population multiplied by a factor of 2.5, increasing by nearly 2.2 billion at an average annual rate of over 1.8 percent. However, the great demographic boom in East Asia is essentially over. Over the past three decades, Asia and Eurasia have experienced pervasive and dramatic declines in fertility levels, with rates dropping between 40 to 60 percent. Sub-replacement fertility is increasingly the norm, characterizing nearly every country in East Asia except Mongolia, and extending to Southeast Asian nations like Singapore and Thailand, as well as South and Central Asian countries such as Sri Lanka and Kazakhstan. Some areas, like Russia, are even facing population contraction, recording more deaths than births annually for the past decade. As a result of this sweeping fertility decline, it is no longer accurate to describe Asia's growth as unprecedented. Population statistics now often show low growth or even decline, such as 1.2 percent growth or 1.8 percent decrease. These figures carry significant implications for power configurations, as seen in the reversal between Russia and Pakistan: in 1975, Russia's population was nearly twice that of Pakistan's, but by 2025, Pakistan is projected to be over twice as populous as Russia. These demographic shifts are poised to influence Asia and the world in profound ways.