1. The Future of East Asia A Population Survey

3. East Asia — a ticking time bomb? East Asia — a ticking time bomb? East Asia consists of the following countries (largest population to smallest with population in millions): China (1,318.0) Japan (127.7) South Korea (48.5) North Korea (23.3) Taiwan (22.9) Mongolia (2.6) The total population for East Asia is 1.550 billion making it the world’s most populated region ahead of South Asia with 1.499 billion people.

4. Key Population Comparisons India: 1,131.9 million people United States: 302.2 million people Did you know? 1 out of 4 people in the world live in East Asia - the same now as in ancient times

5. Current Population Trends in East Asia Current Population Trends in East Asia Crude Birth Rate: 12 per 1,000 population High: North Korea, 16. Low: Japan, 9. Crude Death Rate: 7 per 1,000 population High: Japan, 9. Low: South Korea, 5. Rate of Natural Increase: 0.5% High: North Korea, 0.9%. Low: Japan, 0.

6. Interpretation of Data: East Asia is growing at a rate of 0.5% annually. World average for developed countries is 0.1% and the average for developing countries is 1.5%. Overall global average Natural Increase Rate is 1.2%, making East Asia well below the world average. From interpretation of data, it can be concluded that East Asia is a developing region, though Japan and South Korea are among the most developed nations in the world. At the current growth rates, the population data tells us that East Asia will be a developed region within the next 50 years.

7. Future Data for East Asia Current Population: 1,550,000,000 Projected Population Mid-2025: 1,705,000,000 Mid-2050: 1,632,000,000

8. Interpretation of Data At current growth rate, East Asia will grow, but will eventually decline in population as the region becomes more high industrialized and as the population of these countries becomes more educated. China, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea will all see drastic reductions in their populations, while Mongolia and North Korea will see moderate population growth. Even so, the 2050 estimate will be a 5% increase over the 2008 population.

9. Recommendations for Reducing Population Growth Though East Asia’s current population growth is slowing, it needs to be done faster. A Natural Increase Rate of 0.4% and 0.3% can mean a difference of millions of births. NIR of 0.4% = addition of 5,272,000 people/year, while NIR of 0.3% = addition of 3,954,000 people per year. This is a major difference.

10. No easy way to reduce population growth, but steps must be taken. Two primary methods that may help East Asia: 1. economic development and 2. education. As a society becomes more developed (i.e., less agricultural), families have less children due to population shifts towards urban areas. As a society becomes more developed (i.e., less agricultural), families have less children due to population shifts towards urban areas. As a society becomes more educated, women become empowered with better employment and equal marriages. This leads to a better understanding of their reproductive rights. As a society becomes more educated, women become empowered with better employment and equal marriages. This leads to a better understanding of their reproductive rights.

11. Is East Asia Heading Towards Overpopulation? The short answer is that East Asia is NOT in danger of overpopulation. Overpopulation = “the condition of having a population so dense as to cause environmental deterioration, an impaired quality of life, or a population crash.” Tokyo = world’s largest city… over 15 million people. Real estate = highest in the world—land there sells for well over $250,000 per square meter! That’s over a billion dollars an acre! China has the world’s largest population and has even restricted families to one child to slow population growth and to prevent overpopulation. With East Asia being the most populated region on Earth, with Malthus’ theory eventually prove correct? Probably not! Certain localities can become overpopulated without an entire region, or even the world, becoming overpopulated. Judging by this process, the region of East Asia is in no immediate danger of becoming overpopulated. Certain areas within East Asia, such as dry areas, areas of extreme cold, or areas that have few resources may be in danger of localized overpopulation, but these would be found in rural areas, certainly not the entire region.

12. Predictions East Asia’s population will continue to grow at a moderate rate, but then decline slightly over the next forty years as it continues to industrialize. Some countries like Japan and South Korea will actually transition from zero population growth to negative population growth over the next few decades. East Asia will continue to maintain approximately 25% of the world’s population throughout the period. East Asia is in NO danger of becoming overpopulated, as it has the ability to sustain at least twice as many people as currently reside there.

13. Yes, according to what was discovered in East Asia, there is room for one billion more people globally!