Aging population of the Asia-Pacific region
Life expectancies, fertility rates, and mortality rates all differ significantly throughout the region. Hong Kong was projected to have the highest life expectancy at birth between 2020 and 2025, followed by Japan. In contrast, the life expectancy at birth for citizens of Myanmar was approximately 18 years lower than in Hong Kong.Despite these disparities, certain deductions can be made when attempting to evaluate the region as a whole. The region is experiencing both lower fertility and mortality rates. As citizens have increasingly strayed from traditional norms, birth rates have declined. Alongside lower fertility rates, improved healthcare has ensured that people are living longer, the combination of which has created aging populations in many countries across the Asia-Pacific region.
The age structure of the many populations throughout the region varies greatly. The population of Singapore had the highest median age, which was over double the median age of Timor-Leste's population. Timor-Leste had the lowest median age across Southeast Asia. Due to falling fertility rates, the share of children in the total populations of Singapore, Japan, and South Korea amount to around twelve percent each. Correspondingly, many Asia-Pacific countries were forecasted to have significant shares of population older than 65 by 2035.
