While annual economic growth rates have frequently reached double digits in Asia, in the Pacific the rate of economic growth has been slow, in some cases below the rate of population growth. The Pacific faces a multifaceted issue linked to slow fertility transition that results in high dependency ratios, rapid population growth (unless it is reduced by emigration) and a substantial youth bulge, or even increasing youth cohorts. This paper will examine the case of the demographic window of opportunity in the Pacific in relation to age structures, fertility trends, reproductive health and population-related policies. It will also consider the conditions for hastening the onset of the window of opportunity and include a rapid comparison with Asia to show the extent of the differences within the Asia-Pacific region.