The continent's total population (2000 estimate) is 3.73 billion. East Asia contains about 40 percent of Asia's population, and South and Central Asia together contain another 40 percent. They are followed by Southeast Asia, with 15 percent of the continent's population, and West Asia, with 5 percent. China and India together contain some 2.3 billion people, or more than one-third of the world's population. Asia's overall population density of 119 persons per 308 sq miles of land area is the highest of all continents.

Asia has become the continent of dynamic growth. Many perceive that the nations of Asia will dominate the 21st century. Their growing economic and political influence is shifting the center stage of the world from the Atlantic nations to those of the Pacific Rim.

The Christian Church in Asia has met with spectacular growth, especially in the 80’s and early 90’s. For example, conservative estimates state that Protestants increased from 58 million in 1980 to 127 million in 1990. There are now more Asian Evangelicals than the entire Western World combined! (North America, Europe, Australia) Despite the growth of the Christian Church, which comprises about 8% of the continent, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists comprise approximately 65%.