South Asia
Austroasiatic, Turkic etc. | |
Religions | Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Irreligion |
---|---|
Demonym | (colloquial) |
Countries | |
Dependencies | External (1)
|
Languages | Official languages (national level) |
Time zones | |
Internet TLD | .af, .bd, .bt, .in, .io, .lk, .mv, .np, .pk |
Calling code | Zone 8 & 9 |
Largest cities | |
UN M49 code | 034 – Southern Asia142 – Asia001 – World |
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethnic-cultural terms. As commonly conceptualized, the modern states of South Asia include Afghanistan,[6] Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.[7] South Asia borders East Asia to the northeast, Central Asia to the northwest, West Asia to the west and Southeast Asia to the east. Topographically, it is dominated by the Indian subcontinent and is bounded by the Indian Ocean in the south, and the Himalayas, Karakoram, and Pamir Mountains in the north.[8]
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an economic cooperation organization in the region which was established in 1985 and includes all eight nations comprising South Asia.[9] South Asia has a total area of 5.2 million sq.km (2 million sq.mi), which is 10% of the Asian continent.[7] The population of the region, under the broader definition, is about 2.04 billion[1] or about one-fourth of the world's population, making it both the most populous and the most densely populated geographical region in the world.[10]
In 2022, South Asia had the world's largest populations of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, and Zoroastrians.[11] South Asia alone accounts for 90.47% of Hindus, 95.5% of Sikhs, and 31% of Muslims worldwide, as well as 35 million Christians and 25 million Buddhists.[12][13][14][15]
Definition
The geographical extent is not clear cut as systemic and foreign policy orientations of its constituents are quite asymmetrical.[17] Beyond the core territories of the Indian Empire (territories of the British Empire which were under the system of British Raj), there is a high degree of variation as to which other countries are included in South Asia.[18][19][20][21] There is no clear boundary – geographical, geopolitical, socio-cultural, economical, or historical – between South Asia and other parts of Asia, especially Southeast Asia and West Asia.[22]
The common definition of South Asia is largely inherited from the administrative boundaries of the Indian Empire,[23] with several exceptions. The current territories of Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan which were the core territories of the British Empire from 1857 to 1947 also form the core territories of South Asia.[24][25] The mountain countries of Nepal and Bhutan, two independent countries that were not under the British Raj but were protectorates of the Empire,[26] and the island countries of Sri Lanka and Maldives are generally included.[27] By various definitions based on substantially different reasons, the British Indian Ocean Territory and the Tibet Autonomous Region may be included as well.[28][29][30][31][32][33] Myanmar (Burma), a former British colony and now largely considered a part of Southeast Asia, is also sometimes included.[17][19][34] Afghanistan is also included by some sources.[17][19][35][36]
The
The
The boundaries of South Asia vary based on how the region is defined. South Asia's northern, eastern, and western boundaries vary based on definitions used, while the Indian Ocean is the southern periphery. Most of this region rests on the Indian Plate and is isolated from the rest of Asia by mountain barriers.[51][52] Much of the region consists of a peninsula in south-central Asia, rather resembling a diamond which is delineated by the Himalayas on the north, the Hindu Kush in the west, and the Arakanese in the east,[53] and which extends southward into the Indian Ocean with the Arabian Sea to the southwest and the Bay of Bengal to the southeast.[54][55]
The terms "Indian subcontinent" and "South Asia" are sometimes used interchangeably.[27][54][56][57][58] The Indian subcontinent is largely a geological term referring to the land mass that drifted northeastwards from ancient Gondwana, colliding with the Eurasian plate nearly 55 million years ago, towards the end of Palaeocene. This geological region largely includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.[59] Historians Catherine Asher and Cynthia Talbot state that the term "Indian subcontinent" describes a natural physical landmass in South Asia that has been relatively isolated from the rest of Eurasia.[60]
The use of the term Indian subcontinent began in the British Empire, and has been a term particularly common in its successors.
According to Robert M. Cutler – a scholar of political science at Carleton University,[63] the terms South Asia, Southwest Asia, and Central Asia are distinct, but the confusion and disagreements have arisen due to the geopolitical movement to enlarge these regions into Greater South Asia, Greater Southwest Asia, and Greater Central Asia. The frontier of Greater South Asia, states Cutler, between 2001 and 2006 has been geopolitically extended to eastern Iran and western Afghanistan in the west, and in the north to northeastern Iran, northern Afghanistan, and southern Uzbekistan.[63]
Identification with a South Asian identity was found to be significantly low among respondents in an older two-year survey across Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.[64]
History
Pre-history
The history of core South Asia begins with evidence of human activity of
Ancient era
The
The Vedic period, named after the Vedic religion of the Indo-Aryans,[note 5] lasted from c. 1900 to 500 BCE.[70][71] The Indo-Aryans were Indo-European pastoralists[72] who migrated into north-western India after the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilization,[69][73] Linguistic and archaeological data show a cultural change after 1500 BCE,[69] with the linguistic and religious data clearly showing links with Indo-European languages and religion.[74] By about 1200 BCE, the Vedic culture and agrarian lifestyle were established in the northwest and northern Gangetic plain of South Asia.[72][75][76] Rudimentary state-forms appeared, of which the Kuru-Pañcāla union was the most influential.[77][78] The first recorded state-level society in South Asia existed around 1000 BCE.[72] In this period, states Samuel, emerged the Brahmana and Aranyaka layers of Vedic texts, which merged into the earliest Upanishads.[79] These texts began to ask the meaning of a ritual, adding increasing levels of philosophical and metaphysical speculation,[79] or "Hindu synthesis".[80]
Increasing urbanisation of South Asia between 800 and 400 BCE, and possibly the spread of urban diseases, contributed to the rise of ascetic movements and of new ideas which challenged the orthodox
The Greek army led by
From about 500 BCE through about 300 CE, the Vedic-Brahmanic synthesis or "Hindu synthesis" continued.
Medieval era
Islam came as a political power in the fringe of South Asia in 8th century CE when the Arab general
The wave of raids on north Indian and western Indian kingdoms by Muslim warlords continued after Mahmud of Ghazni, plundering and looting these kingdoms.
The Delhi Sultanate covered varying parts of South Asia and was ruled by a series of dynasties: Mamluk, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid and Lodi dynasties.
Revolts against the Delhi Sultanate sprang up in many parts of South Asia during the 14th century.[citation needed] In the northeast, the Bengal Sultanate became independent in 1346 CE. It remained in power through the early 16th century. The state religion of the sultanate was Islam.[112][113] In South India, the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire came to power in 1336 and persisted until the middle of the 16th century. It was ultimately defeated and destroyed by an alliance of Muslim Deccan sultanates at the battle of Talikota.[114][115]
About 1526, the Punjab governor Dawlat Khan Lodī reached out to the Mughal
Modern era
The modern history period of South Asia, that is 16th-century onwards, witnessed the establishment of the Mughal empire, with Sunni Islam theology. The first ruler was Babur had Turco-Mongol roots and his realm included the northwest and Indo-Gangetic Plain regions of South Asia. The southern and northeastern regions of South Asia were largely under Hindu kings such as those of Vijayanagara Empire and Ahom kingdom,[117] with some regions such as parts of modern Telangana and Andhra Pradesh under local Sultanates namely Deccan sultanates.[118][119]
The Mughal Empire continued its wars of expansion after Babur's death. With the fall of the Rajput kingdoms and Vijayanagara, its boundaries encompassed almost the entirety of the Indian subcontinent.[120] The Mughal Empire was marked by a period of artistic exchanges and a Central Asian and South Asian architecture synthesis, with remarkable buildings such as the Taj Mahal.[121][119][122]
However, this time also marked an extended period of religious persecution.[123] Two of the religious leaders of Sikhism, Guru Arjan and Guru Tegh Bahadur were arrested under orders of the Mughal emperors after their revolts and were executed when they refused to convert to Islam.[124][125][126] Religious taxes on non-Muslims called jizya were imposed. Buddhist, Hindu and Sikh temples were desecrated. However, not all Muslim rulers persecuted non-Muslims. Akbar, a Mughal ruler for example, sought religious tolerance and abolished jizya.[127][128][129][130]
After the death of Aurangzeb and the collapse of the Mughal Empire, which marks the beginning of modern India, in the early 18th century, it provided opportunities for the
Maritime trading between South Asia and European merchants began after the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama returned to Europe. British, French, Portuguese colonial interests struck treaties with these rulers and established their trading ports. In northwest South Asia, a large region was consolidated into the Sikh Empire by
Britain, under pressure from Indian freedom fighters, increasingly gave self-rule to British India. By the 1940s, two rival camps emerged among independence activists: those who favored a separate nation for Indian Muslims, and those who wanted a united India. As World War II raged, over 2 million Indians fought for Britain.[141] After the war, the process of independence took place and Britain granted independence to the vast majority of South Asians in 1947,[142] though this coincided with the partition of India into a Hindu-majority India and a Muslim-majority Pakistan, which resulted in significant violence and hardened religious divides in the region for some months.[143]
Contemporary era
India and Pakistan clashed several times in the decades after Independence, with disputes over Kashmir playing a significant role.[144] In 1971, the eastern half of Pakistan seceded with help from India and became the People's Republic of Bangladesh after the traumatic Bangladesh Liberation War.[145] This, along with India and Pakistan gaining nuclear weapons soon afterwards, increased tensions between the two countries.[146] The Cold War decades also contributed to the divide, as Pakistan aligned with the West and India with the Soviet Union; modern legacies of this divide include the majority of India's modern-day weaponry being Russian in origin.[147][148]
Pakistan has been beset with
Geography
According to Saul Cohen, early colonial era strategists treated South Asia with East Asia, but in reality, the South Asia region excluding Afghanistan is a distinct geopolitical region separated from other nearby geostrategic realms, one that is geographically diverse.[163] The region is home to a variety of geographical features, such as glaciers, rainforests, valleys, deserts, and grasslands that are typical of much larger continents. It is surrounded by three water bodies – the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea – and has acutely varied climate zones. The tip of the Indian Peninsula had the highest quality pearls.[164]
Indian Plate
Most of this region is resting on the
The
Climate
The climate of this vast region varies considerably from area to area from tropical monsoon in the south to temperate in the north. The variety is influenced by not only the altitude but also by factors such as proximity to the seacoast and the seasonal impact of the
As the Himalayas block the north-Asian bitter cold winds, the temperatures are considerably moderate in the plains down below. For the most part, the climate of the region is called the monsoon climate, which keeps the region humid during summer and dry during winter, and favours the cultivation of jute, tea, rice, and various vegetables in this region.
South Asia is largely divided into four broad climate zones:[172]
- The northern Indian edge and northern Pakistani uplands have a dry subtropical continental climate
- The far south of India and southwest Sri Lanka have an equatorial climate
- Most of the peninsula has a tropical climate with variations:
- Hot subtropical climate in northwest India
- Cool winter hot tropical climate in Bangladesh
- Tropical semi-arid climate in the center
- The Himalayas and most of the Hindu Kush have an Alpine climate
Maximum relative humidity of over 80% has been recorded in Khasi and Jaintia Hills and Sri Lanka, while the area adjustment to Pakistan and western India records lower than 20%–30%.[172] Climate of South Asia is largely characterized by monsoons. South Asia depends critically on monsoon rainfall.[173] Two monsoon systems exist in the region:[174]
- The summer monsoon: Wind blows from the southwest to most parts of the region. It accounts for 70%–90% of the annual precipitation.
- The winter monsoon: Wind blows from the northeast. Dominant in Sri Lanka and Maldives.
The warmest period of the year precedes the monsoon season (March to mid June). In the summer the low pressures are centered over the
Regions
Land and water area
This list includes
Country | Area in km2 | EEZ | Shelf | EEZ+TIA |
---|---|---|---|---|
Afghanistan | 652,864 | 0 | 0 | 652,864 |
Bangladesh | 148,460 | 86,392 | 66,438 | 230,390 |
Bhutan | 38,394 | 0 | 0 | 38,394 |
India | 3,287,263 | 2,305,143 | 402,996 | 5,592,406 |
Nepal | 147,181 | 0 | 0 | 147,181 |
Maldives | 298 | 923,322 | 34,538 | 923,622 |
Pakistan | 881,913 | 290,000 | 51,383 | 1,117,911 |
Sri Lanka | 65,610 | 532,619 | 32,453 | 598,229 |
Total | 5,221,093 | 4,137,476 | 587,808 | 9,300,997 |
Society
Population
The population of South Asia is about 1.938 billion which makes it the
Country | Population in thousands
|
% of South Asia | % of world[179] | Density (per km2)
|
Population growth rate[180] | Population projection (in thousands)[178][1] | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005–10 | 2010–15 | 2015–20 | 1950 | 1975 | 2000 | 2025 | 2050 | 2075 | 2100 | |||||
Afghanistan | 42,240 | 2.17% | 0.525% | 61.8 | 2.78 | 3.16 | 2.41 | 7,752 | 12,689 | 20,779 | 44,516 | 74,075 | 98,732 | 110,855 |
Bangladesh | 172,954 | 8.92% | 2.15% | 1301 | 1.18 | 1.16 | 1.04 | 37,895 | 70,066 | 127,658 | 170,937 | 203,905 | 201,891 | 176,366 |
Bhutan | 787 | 0.04% | 0.00978% | 20.3 | 2.05 | 1.58 | 1.18 | 177 | 348 | 591 | 797 | 874 | 803 | 654 |
India | 1,428,628 | 73.7% | 17.5% | 473.4 | 1.46 | 1.23 | 1.10 | 376,325 | 623,103 | 1,056,576 | 1,454,607 | 1,670,491 | 1,676,035 | 1,529,850 |
Maldives | 521 | 0.03% | 0.00647% | 1738.2 | 2.68 | 2.76 | 1.85 | 74 | 136 | 279 | 515 | 570 | 543 | 469 |
Nepal | 30,897 | 1.59% | 0.384% | 204.1 | 1.05 | 1.17 | 1.09 | 8,483 | 13,420 | 23,941 | 31,577 | 37,401 | 38,189 | 33,770 |
Pakistan | 240,486 | 12.4% | 2.98% | 300.2 | 2.05 | 2.09 | 1.91 | 37,542 | 66,817 | 142,344 | 249,949 | 367,808 | 453,262 | 487,017 |
Sri Lanka | 21,894 | 1.13% | 0.272% | 347.2 | 0.68 | 0.50 | 0.35 | 7,971 | 13,755 | 18,778 | 22,000 | 21,815 | 19,000 | 14,695 |
South Asia | 1,938,407 | 100% | 24.094% | 377.5 | - | - | - | 476,220 | 800,335 | 1,390,946 | 1,974,898 | 2,376,939 | 2,488,455 | 2,353,676 |
Population of South Asian countries in 1950, 1975, 2000, 2025, 2050, 2075 and 2100 projection from the United Nations has been displayed in table. The given population projections are based on medium fertility index. With India and Bangladesh approaching replacement rates fast, population growth in South Asia is facing steep decline and may turn negative in mid 21st century.[178][1] |
Languages
The
The largest spoken language in this region is
English, with British spelling, is commonly used in urban areas and is a major economic lingua franca of South Asia.[191]
Religions
In 2010, South Asia had the world's largest population of
Country | State religion | Religious population as a percentage of total population | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buddhism | Christianity | Hinduism | Islam | Kiratism
|
Sikhism | Others | Year reported | ||
Afghanistan | Islam | – | – | – | 99.7% | – | – | 0.3% | 2019[197] |
Bangladesh | Islam | 0.6% | 0.4% | 9.5% | 90.4% | – | – | – | 2011[198] |
Bhutan | Vajrayana Buddhism | 74.8% | 0.5% | 22.6% | 0.1% | – | – | 2% | 2010[199][200] |
India | Secular | 0.7%
|
2.3% | 79.8% | 14.2% | – | 1.7% | 1.3% | 2011[201][202] |
Maldives
|
Islam | – | – | – | 100% | – | – | – | [203][204][205] |
Nepal | Secular | 9% | 1.3% | 81.3% | 4.4% | 3% | – | 0.8% | 2013[206] |
Pakistan | Islam | – | 1.59% | 1.85% | 96.28% | – | – | 0.07% | 2010[207] |
Sri Lanka | Theravada Buddhism | 70.2% | 6.2% | 12.6% | 9.7% | – | – | 1.4% | 2011[208] |
Largest urban areas
South Asia is home to some of the most populated urban areas in the world. According to the 2023 edition of Demographia World Urban Areas, the region contains 8 of the world's 35 megacities (urban areas over 10 million population):[209]
Rank | Urban Area | State/Province | Country | Skyline | Population[209] | Area (km2)[209] | Density (/km2)[209] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Delhi | National Capital Region | India | 31,190,000 | 2,344 | 13,307 | |
2 | Mumbai | Maharashtra | India | 25,189,000 | 1,046 | 24,073 | |
3 | Kolkata | West Bengal | India | 21,747,000 | 1,352 | 16,085 | |
4 | Karachi | Sindh | Pakistan | 20,249,000 | 1,124 | 18,014 | |
5 | Dhaka | Dhaka Division | Bangladesh | 19,134,000 | 619 | 30,911 | |
6 | Bangalore | Karnataka | India | 15,257,000 | 1,743 | 8,753 | |
7 | Lahore | Punjab | Pakistan | 13,504,000 | 945 | 14,285 | |
8 | Chennai | Tamil Nadu | India | 11,570,000 | 1,225 | 9,444 | |
9 | Hyderabad | Telangana | India | 9,797,000 | 1,689 | 5,802 | |
10 | Ahmedabad | Gujarat | India | 8,006,000 | 505 | 15,852 |
Diaspora
Culture
Sports
Cinema
Music
Cuisine
Economy
India is the largest economy in the region (US$ 4.11 trillion) and makes up almost 80% of the South Asian economy; it is the
India is followed by Bangladesh, which has a GDP of ($446 billion). It has the fastest GDP growth rate in Asia. It is one of the emerging and growth-leading economies of the world, and is also listed among the Next Eleven countries. It is also one of the fastest-growing middle-income countries. It has the world's 33rd largest GDP in nominal terms and is the 25th largest by purchasing power adjusted exchange rates ($1.476 trillion). Bangladesh's economic growth was 6.4% in 2022.[223] The next one is Pakistan, which has an economy of ($340 billion). Next is Sri Lanka, which has the 2nd highest GDP per capita and the 4th largest economy in the region. According to a World Bank report in 2015, driven by a strong expansion in India, coupled with favorable oil prices, from the last quarter of 2014 South Asia became the fastest-growing region in the world.[224]
Certain parts of South Asia are significantly wealthier than others; the four Indian states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Karnataka are projected to account for almost 50% of India's GDP by 2030, while the five South Indian states comprising 20% of India's population are expected to contribute 35% of India's GDP by 2030.[225]
Country [226][227][228] |
GDP | Inflation
(2022)[229] |
HDI | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nominal GDP (in millions) (2022) (%Share)[230] |
GDP per capita
(2022)[231] |
GDP (PPP) (in millions) (2022) (%Share) |
GDP (PPP) per capita (2022) | GDP growth
(2022)[232] |
HDI
(2019)[233] |
Inequality-adjusted HDI (2019)[234]
| ||
Afghanistan[235] | $20,136 (2020) | $611 (2020) | $80,912 (2020) | $2,456 (2020) | -2.4% (2020) | 5.6% (2020) | 0.478 (low) | No data |
Bangladesh | $460,751 (10.41%) | $2,734 | $1,345,646 (8.97%) | $7,985 | 7.2% | 6.1% | 0.661 (medium) | 0.465 (low) |
Bhutan | $2,707 (0.06%) | $3,562 | $9,937 (0.07%) | $13,077 | 4.0% | 7.7% | 0.666 (medium) | 0.450 (low) |
India | $3,468,566 (78.35%) | $2,466 | $11,665,490 (77.74%) | $8,293 | 6.8% | 6.9% | 0.633 (medium) | 0.538 (low) |
Maldives | $5,900 (0.13%) | $15,097 | $12,071 (0.08%) | $30,888 | 8.7% | 4.3% | 0.747 (high) | 0.568 (medium) |
Nepal | $39,028 (0.88%) | $1,293 | $141,161 (0.94%) | $4,677 | 4.2% | 6.3% | 0.602 (medium) | 0.430 (low) |
Pakistan | $376,493 (8.50%) | $1,658 | $1,512,476 (10.08%) | $6,662 | 6.0% | 12.10% | 0.544 (low) | 0.386 (low) |
Sri Lanka | $73,739 (1.67%) | $3,293 | $318,690 (2.12%) | $14,230 | -8.7% | 48.2% | 0.782 (high) | 0.686 (medium) |
South Asia[236] | $4,427,184 (100%) | $2,385 | $15,005,471 (100%) | $8,085 | 6.4% | 8.1% | 0.639 (medium) | - |
According to the World Bank's 2011 report, based on 2005 ICP PPP, about 24.6% of the South Asian population was below the international poverty line of $1.25/day.[237] Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka had the lowest number of people below the poverty line, with 2.4%, 1.5% and 4.1% respectively.
According to the 2023 MPI (multidimensional poverty index) report by the UN, around 20% of South Asians are poor.[238]
51.7% of Afghanistan's population was under the MPI poverty threshold in 2019,[239] while 24.1% of Bangladesh's population was under the threshold in 2021.[240] India lifted 415 million people from MPI-poverty from 2005/06 to 2019/21; 16.4% of India's population was MPI-poor in 2019/2021, compared to 55.1% in 2005/2006.[152] 10% of India's population was under the international poverty line of $2.15/day in 2021.[241]
Country [226][227][228] |
Population below poverty line (at $1.9/day) | Global Hunger Index (2021)[242] | Population under-nourished (2015)[243] | Life expectancy (2019)[244] (global rank) | Global wealth report (2019)[245][246][247] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
World Bank[248] (year) | 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index Report (MPI source year)[249] | Population in Extreme poverty (2022)[250] | CIA Factbook (2015)[251] | Total national wealth in billion USD (global rank) | Wealth per adult in USD | Median wealth per adult in USD (global rank) | ||||
Afghanistan | 54.5% (2016) | 55.91% (2015–16) | 18% | 36% | 28.3 (103rd) | 26.8% | 63.2 (160th) | 25 (116th) | 1,463 | 640 (156th) |
Bangladesh | 24.3% (2016) | 24.64% (2019) | 4% | 31.5% | 19.1 (76th) | 16.4% | 74.3 (82nd) | 697 (44th) | 6,643 | 2,787 (117th) |
Bhutan | 8.2% (2017) | 37.34% (2010) | 4% | 12% | No data | No data | 73.1 (99th) | No Data | No Data | No Data |
India | 21.9% (2011) | 16.4% (2019–21) | 3% | 29.8% | 27.5 (101st) | 15.2% | 70.8 (117th) | 12,614 (7th) | 14,569 | 3,042 (115th) |
Maldives | 8.2% (2016) | 0.77% (2016–17) | 4% | 16% | No data | 5.2% | 79.6 (33rd) | 7 (142nd) | 23,297 | 8,555 (74th) |
Nepal | 25.2% (2010) | 17.50% (2019) | 8% | 25.2% | 19.1 (76th) | 7.8% | 70.9 (116th) | 68 (94th) | 3,870 | 1,510 (136th) |
Pakistan | 24.3% (2015) | 38.33% (2017–18) | 5% | 12.4% | 24.7 (94th) | 22% | 69.3 (144th) | 465 (49th) | 4,096 | 1,766 (128th) |
Sri Lanka | 4.1% (2016) | 2.92% (2016) | 5% | 8.9% | 16 (65th) | 22% | 76.9 (54th) | 297 (60th) | 20,628 | 8,283 (77th) |
The major stock exchanges in the region are
Education
One of the key challenges in assessing the quality of education in South Asia is the vast range of contextual difference across the region, complicating any attempt to compare between countries.[254] In 2018, 11.3 million children at the primary level and 20.6 million children at the lower secondary level were out-of-school in South Asia, while millions of children completed primary education without mastering the foundational skills of basic numeracy and literacy.[255]
According to UNESCO, 241 million children between six and fourteen years or 81 percent of the total were not learning in Southern and Central Asia in 2017. Only sub-Saharan Africa had a higher rate of children not learning. Two-thirds of these children were in school, sitting in classrooms. Only 19% of children attending primary and lower secondary schools attain a minimum proficiency level in reading and mathematics.[256][257] According to a citizen-led assessment, only 48% in Indian public schools and 46% of children in Pakistan public schools could read a class two level text by the time they reached class five.[258][257] This poor quality of education in turn has contributed to some of the highest drop-out rates in the world, while over half of the students complete secondary school with acquiring requisite skills.[257]
In South Asia, classrooms are teacher-centred and rote-based, while children are often subjected to corporal punishment and discrimination.[255] Different South Asian countries have different education structures. While by 2018 India and Pakistan has two of the most developed and increasingly decentralised education systems, Bangladesh still had a highly centralised system, and Nepal is in a state of transition from a centralized to a decentralized system.[254] In most South Asian countries children's education is theoretically free; the exceptions are the Maldives, where there is no constitutionally guaranteed free education, as well as Bhutan and Nepal, where fees are charged by primary schools. But parents are still faced with unmanageable secondary financial demands, including private tuition to make up for the inadequacies of the education system.[259]
The larger and poorer countries in the region, like India and Bangladesh, struggle financially to get sufficient resources to sustain an education system required for their vast populations, with an added challenge of getting large numbers of out-of-school children enrolled into schools.[254] Their capacity to deliver inclusive and equitable quality education is limited by low levels of public finance for education,[255] while the smaller emerging middle-income countries like Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bhutan have been able to achieve universal primary school completion, and are in a better position to focus on quality of education.[254]
Children's education in the region is also adversely affected by natural and human-made crises including natural hazards, political instability, rising extremism and civil strife that makes it difficult to deliver educational services.[255] Afghanistan and India are among the top ten countries with the highest number of reported disasters due to natural hazards and conflict. The precarious security situation in Afghanistan is a big barrier in rolling out education programmes on a national scale.[254]
According to UNICEF, girls face incredible hurdles to pursue their education in the region,[255] while UNESCO estimated in 2005 that 24 million girls of primary-school age in the region were not receiving any formal education.[260][261] Between 1900 and 2005, most of the countries in the region had shown progress in girls' education with Sri Lanka and the Maldives significantly ahead of the others, while the gender gap in education has widened in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Bangladesh made the greatest progress in the region in the period increasing girls' secondary school enrolment from 13 percent to 56 percent in ten years.[262][263]
With about 21 million students in 700 universities and 40 thousand colleges India had one of the largest higher education systems in the world in 2011, accounting for 86 percent of all higher-level students in South Asia. Bangladesh (two million) and Pakistan (1.8 million) stood at distant second and third positions in the region. In Nepal (390 thousand) and Sri Lanka (230 thousand) the numbers were much smaller. Bhutan with only one university and Maldives with none hardly had between them about 7000 students in higher education in 2011. The gross enrolment ratio in 2011 ranged from about 10 percent in Pakistan and Afghanistan to above 20 percent in India, much below the global average of 31 percent.[264]
Parameters | Afghanistan | Bangladesh | Bhutan | India | Maldives | Nepal | Pakistan | Sri Lanka | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Primary School Enrollment[265] | 29% | 90% | 85% | 92% | 94% | 96% | 73% | 98% | |
Secondary School Enrollment[266] | 49% | 54% | 78% | 68% | N/A | 72% | 45% | 96% |
Health and nutrition
According to World Health Organization (WHO), South Asia is home to two out of the three countries in the world still affected by polio, Pakistan and Afghanistan, with 306 & 28 polio cases registered in 2014 respectively.[267] Attempts to eradicate polio have been badly hit by opposition from militants in both countries, who say the program is cover to spy on their operations. Their attacks on immunization teams have claimed 78 lives since December 2012.[268]
The
According to the World Bank, 64% of South Asians lived in rural areas in 2022.[270] In 2008, about 75% of South Asia's poor lived in rural areas and most relied on agriculture for their livelihood[271] according to the UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation.
In 2021, approximately 330 million people in the region were malnourished.[272] A 2015 report says that Nepal reached both the WFS target as well as MDG and is moving towards bringing down the number of undernourished people to less than 5% of the population.[243] Bangladesh reached the MDG target with the National Food Policy framework – with only 16.5% of the population undernourished. In India, the malnourished comprise just over 15 percent of the population. While the number of malnourished people in the neighborhood has shown a decline over the last 25 years, the number of under-nourished in Pakistan displays an upward trend. There were 28.7 million hungry in Pakistan in the 1990s – a number that has steadily increased to 41.3 million in 2015 with 22% of the population malnourished. Approximately 194.6 million people are undernourished in India, which accounts for the highest number of people suffering from hunger in any single country.[243][273]
The 2006 report stated, "the low status of women in South Asian countries and their lack of nutritional knowledge are important determinants of high prevalence of underweight children in the region". Corruption and the lack of initiative on the part of the government has been one of the major problems associated with nutrition in India. Illiteracy in villages has been found to be one of the major issues that need more government attention. The report mentioned that although there has been a reduction in malnutrition due to the Green Revolution in South Asia, there is concern that South Asia has "inadequate feeding and caring practices for young children".[274]
Governance and politics
Systems of government
India is a
The foundation of Pakistan lies in the
The
By the 18th century, the Hindu
Bhutan is a Buddhist state with a constitutional monarchy. The country has been ranked as the least corrupt and most peaceful country in the region, with the most economic freedom, in 2016.
Maldives is a unitary presidential republic with Sunni Islam strictly as the state religion.
Parameters | Afghanistan | Bangladesh | Bhutan | India | Maldives | Nepal | Pakistan | Sri Lanka | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fragile States Index[289] | 102.9 | 85.7 | 69.5 | 75.3 | 66.2 | 82.6 | 92.1 | 81.8 | |
Corruption Perceptions Index (2019)[290] (Global rank out of 179 countries) | 16 (173rd) | 26 (146th) | 68 (25th) | 41 (80th) | 29 (130th) | 34 (113th) | 32 (120th) | 38 (93rd) | |
The Worldwide Governance Indicators (2015)[291] |
Government Effectiveness | 8% | 24% | 68% | 56% | 41% | 13% | 27% | 53% |
Political stability and absence of violence/terrorism |
1% | 11% | 89% | 17% | 61% | 16% | 1% | 47% | |
Rule of law | 2% | 27% | 70% | 56% | 35% | 27% | 24% | 60% | |
Voice and accountability | 16% | 31% | 46% | 61% | 30% | 33% | 27% | 36% |
Regional politics
India has been the
Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are middle powers with sizeable populations and economies with significant impact on regional politics.[301][302]
During the
The
While in East Asia, regional trade accounts for 50% of total trade, it accounts for only a little more than 5% in South Asia.[311]
Populism is a general characteristic of internal politics of India.[312]
Regional groups of countries
Name | Area (km2) |
Population | Population density (per km2) |
Capital or Secretariat | Currency | Countries | Official language | Coat of arms |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Core definition of South Asia | 5,220,460 | 1,726,907,000 | 330.79 | — | — | Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka | — | — |
UNSD definition of Southern Asia | 6,778,083 | 1,702,000,000 | 270.77 | — | — | Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka | — | — |
SAARC | 4,637,469 | 1,626,000,000 | 350.6 | Kathmandu | — | Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka | English | — |
SASEC | 3,565,467 | 1,485,909,931 | 416.75 | — | — | Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka | — | — |
BBIN | 3,499,559 | 1,465,236,000 | 418.69 | — | — | Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal | — | — |
See also
- A Region in Turmoil: South Asian Conflicts since 1947 by Rob Johnson
- South Asian cuisine
- Genetics and archaeogenetics of South Asia
- List of tallest buildings and structures in the Indian subcontinent
- List of territorial disputes
- South Asia Olympic Council
- South Asian Football Federation
- South Asian Games
Broader regions
- Global Southeast, South Asia and Southeast Asia
- India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor
Notes
- ^ Administered by the United Kingdom, claimed by Mauritius as the Chagos Archipelago.
- ^ According to the UN cartographic section website disclaimers, "DESIGNATIONS USED: The depiction and use of boundaries, geographic names and related data shown on maps and included in lists, tables, documents, and databases on this website are not warranted to be error free nor do they necessarily imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations."[37]
- ^ Doniger 2010, p. 66: "Much of what we now call Hinduism may have had roots in cultures that thrived in South Asia long before the creation of textual evidence that we can decipher with any confidence. Remarkable cave paintings have been preserved from Mesolithic sites dating from c. 30,000 BCE in Bhimbetka, near present-day Bhopal, in the Vindhya Mountains in the province of Madhya Pradesh."
- ^ Jones & Ryan 2006, p. xvii: "Some practices of Hinduism must have originated in Neolithic times (c. 4000 BCE). The worship of certain plants and animals as sacred, for instance, could very likely have very great antiquity. The worship of goddesses, too, a part of Hinduism today, maybe a feature that originated in the Neolithic."
- ^ Michaels: "They called themselves arya ("Aryans," literally "the hospitable," from the Vedic arya, "homey, the hospitable") but even in the Rgveda, arya denotes a cultural and linguistic boundary and not only a racial one."[69]
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Further reading
- Anthony, David W. (2007), The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World, Princeton University Press
- Beckwith, Christopher I. (2009), Empires of the Silk Road, Princeton University Press
External links
- South Asia, The World Bank
- Digital South Asia Library, University of Chicago
- South Asian and Himalayan Arts Archived 6 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Freer and Sackler Galleries, Smithsonian
- South Asia, Brookings Institution
- South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation, Asia Development Bank