South Asia: Maternal and Reproductive Health at a Glance

The South Asia Region (SAR) includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. With over 1.6 billion people, it is the most densely populated region in the world. The populations vary from 400,000 in the Maldives to 1.2 billion in India. The economies range from fragile and low-income to middle-income countries. SAR experienced 20 years of robust economic growth, averaging 6 percent a year. Growth resulted in declining poverty and impressive improvements in human development. More than 42 percent of the developing world?s poor live in SAR, where about 500 million people survive on less than $1.25 a day.