Asia is the world’s largest and most populous continent. With almost four billion people, it is home to more than 60% of the world’s current population, including the two largest national populations; China and India. Asia is also the center of some of the fastest sustained economic growth rates in the world as well as some of the most intractable problems of poverty. It is home to several language families and many language isolates. Indeed, Asia is both diverse and dynamic in terms of population growth trends. There are many emerging population issues having significant impacts on the future of the world’s population as they pose major challenges to communities and local governments across the region. Thus, there is a great need for scientific studies of population that can be translated into policy actions in countries with diverse socio-demographic settings.
APA was registered in Bangkok in 2008 and the Secretariat was set up at the College of Population Studies in the University of Chulalongkorn. In 2011, the Secretariat was moved to the Institute for Population and Social Research at Mahidol University. A change in the constitution in 2012 extended the term of the council from two to three years. The third online election of the APA was held in 2012 and the following members were elected as council members.

 
CURRENT COUNCIL OF APA



Aims
The aim of APA is to create greater awareness of the diversity in the region among scholars from different Asian countries, and to facilitate the building of collaborations among these scholars. The association is responsible for promoting research, sharing knowledge, developing the capacity of population institutions in the region, and engaging in advocacy and policy dialogue to advance the development agenda in the region.