Very low fertility in Pacific Asian countries: Causes and policy responses

• Main Author: STRAUGHAN, Paulin Tay
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2008
• Subjects: Asian Studies; Family, Life Course, and Society
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2210; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/3467/viewcontent/Ultra_low_Fertility_in_Pacific_Asia__Trends__causes_and_policy_issues.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Only 40 years ago, population experts were still worried about a population explosion that would threaten the future of humanity. Fortunately, while population growth is currently largely under control, sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South Asia still face massive increases with very serious potential consequences. Paradoxically, however, a new problem is emerging, with its key locus in Pacific Asia (the term used in this book to refer to Asian countries with a Pacific littoral). This problem is ultra-low fertility. Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, and Hong Kong SAR are among the very lowest-fertility countries in the whole world, and even China has reached fertility levels lower than those in many European countries. Fertility has sunk so low in many East Asian countries that if these levels continue over long periods, populations will face accelerating populationdecline not very far into the future.