It is the dollar values that represent the current weight of countries in the international economy, and we should bear in mind that using market exchange rates, Japan has the largest economy in Asia, about double the size of that of China.
Measured at market exchange rates, Asia accounted for 25 percent of global GDP in 2005, well below the 40 percent that PPP data imply. The share of Asia in global population is projected to remain roughly constant over the period 19502030, rising from 55 to 58 percent (Figure 3).