South Asia
About the South Asian Region
The South Asian Region is a mosaic of different counties with diverse cultural and national identity. The countries of this region include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. These countries are also called SAARC (South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation) countries.
According to 2016’s World Bank data, the collective economic size of this region is about US$ 2.892 Trillion. The region’s per capita Gross National Income (GNI) is about US $1610 (Atlas Method) whereas the per capita CO2 emission of about 1.46 metric ton.
The region is also home for about 22% of the world population (which is about 1.76 billion populations as of 2016’s data).
The region has one of the largest concentrations of under-privileged population, with acute caste system issues, high number of dowry deaths and honour killing issue, farmers’ suicide, water and sanitation problem, environmental degradation and server pressure to wild life and bio-diversity.
At the same time the region has a rich civilizational and cultural tradition. The region also produces and exports high quality human capital to the rest of the world. The South Asian diasporas are a talented, diverse, and culturally vibrant community.