The economic costs of the disease in 15 countries in the region is already estimated to be about 60 billion dollars and governments should make dementia and the development of care facilities a health priority, the survey said.

"The most striking increases will occur in China and India, but there will also be significant increases in Japan, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand," it warned.

The report was commissioned by the government-backed Alzheimer's Australia on behalf of the 15 Asia-Pacific member countries of Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI).

Dementia is a general term for more than 70 conditions causing progressive deterioration in thinking, memory and everyday abilities and is more common as people age. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia.

The increase in the numbers of dementia sufferers will occur because the number of people aged over 60 will grow from under 10 percent of the regional population today to 25 percent by 2050, the report said.