Abstract
Early results from the 2010 round of censuses in China, India, and Indonesia offer an attractive opportunity to assess these countries’ demographic situations and progress in human development. Drawing on the preceding chapters in this volume, the present commentary discusses a selection of the issues raised there that cut across the three countries. Data uncertainties persist, even on such major questions as levels of fertility and life expectancy, with potentially large implications for forecasts of future population trajectories. With China in the lead, a steady deepening of human capital has been recorded, along with massive and rapid urbanization. Low fertility, achieved or approaching, makes for continued population aging and eventual declines in numbers—a fairly near-term prospect in the case of China. How the elderly will be supported in these emerging top-heavy demographic regimes presents a serious unresolved problem for policy makers.
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McNicoll, G. (2016). Observations on Population Change and Human Capital in Asia’s Demographic Giants. In: Guilmoto, C., Jones, G. (eds) Contemporary Demographic Transformations in China, India and Indonesia. Demographic Transformation and Socio-Economic Development, vol 5. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24783-0_22
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24783-0_22
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