Demographic and Social Trends Affecting Families in the South and Central Asian Region Population Change in South and Central Asia

The population size in almost all of the countries in the South and Central Asian region shows a significant increase in the last few decades. Nevertheless, during 19801990 and 1990-2000 decades, countries in South Asia experienced a significant decline in the average annual rate of population growth (Table 1). Afghanistan is the only exception showing an increase in the growth rate and its population. India, the most populous country in the region, with a population of over thousand million, showed a decline in its population growth rate amounting to 1.77 per cent per annum during the last decade. During the same period, Sri Lanka experienced the lowest growth rate in the region with a growth rate amounting to 1.05 per cent per annum.