Capitalizing on the Demographic Transition: Tackling Noncommunicable Diseases in South Asia

Increasing life expectancy in South Asia is resulting in a demographic transition that can, under the right circumstances, yield dividends through more favorable dependency ratios for a time. With aging, the disease burden shifts toward noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)1 which can threaten healthy aging. However, securing the gains expected from the demographic dividend—where developing countries’ working and nondependent population increases and per capita income thus rises— is both achievable and affordable through efficiently tacking NCDs with prevention and control efforts.