The “Population Problem” in Pacific Asia

Reviewer: Gavin W. Jones, Australian National University Throughout East Asia, as well as in Singapore and Thailand, fertility rates have reached very low levels, and this has led to declining youth populations (throughout the region), followed by declining working-age populations (almost everywhere in the region), and declining total populations (already in Japan, soon to be followed by South Korea and Taiwan). The prospective population ageing in these countries by mid-century is extraordinary, though the measure of ageing used (ratio of the population aged 65+ to the “working age” population aged 15–64) provides an overly alarming picture of population ageing, given the rapid changes in the characteristics of Pacific Asia’s older population. In any event, these trends have led to considerable alarm on the part of governments, notwithstanding the arguments of many environmentalists that population decline is to be welcomed rather than feared. Stuart Gietel-Basten’s book traces out very effectively the trends in fertility and population size and structure in the Pacific Asian countries, offers an insightful analysis of the factors keeping fertility low, the policy concerns of their governments, and some approaches to enabling their population to realize their family building desires. His book raises many important issues, in some cases in innovative ways.