Reproductive Choices for Asian Adolescents: A Focus on Contraceptive Behavior

International Family Planning Perspectives With the widespread acceptance of family planning, nearly every Asian country has experienced a drop in birthrates. However, national populations are expected to grow well into the next century because of population momentum— a consequence of the increasing numbers of adolescents* and young people in the region. The generation entering the adolescent years now is the largest in human history. In 2000, in the developing world as a whole, the population of adolescents aged 10–19 was estimated at 995 million, about one-fifth of the total population. According to the medium population projections of the United Nations (based on 1998 revised population estimates), this number will reach 1,060 million by 2020—an increase of 65 million, or 6.5%.1 The proportion of adolescents in the population varies modestly among regions— from 19% in Asia to 23% in Africa, with the most rapid future growth expected to occur in Africa.2 Of the 1.15 billion adolescents in the world, more than 700 million live in Asia.3