Elsewhere in Asia, the demographic transition is an evolving event. Birth and death rates continue to decline steadily in some cases and more erratically in others (Appendix Tables A1.1–A1.3). There is considerable uncertainty, however, about the speed and the extent of fertility decline. If other Asian economies follow the path of East Asia and fertility rates drop to very low levels, their populations will age more rapidly than the
projections in Figure 1.1 indicate.