Demographic change is coming to South Asia’s classrooms. Will education systems be ready? Mariana MarchionniEmmanuel Jose VazquezMonica Yanez Pagans September 15, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/developmenttalk/demographic-change-is-coming-to-south-asia-s-classrooms--will-ed South Asia is approaching a new demographic phase—one that will reshape education systems for decades. Today, it has the second-largest population of children under age 15 in the world, after Sub-Saharan Africa. But that is beginning to change. By 2050, the region’s under-15 population is projected to decline by about 16 percent, from 420 million in 2024 to 352 million.