Territorial
conflicts and people in Africa
Global population has increased by 2.9 billion
over the past 35 years, from 4.4 billion in 1980 to 7.3 billion in 2015.
Although population growth rates have slowed, the world’s population is still
growing by 81 million people each year, and Africa is contributing
significantly to this phenomenon.
Africa’s population has nearly trebled
from its estimated 478 million in 1980 to the current estimate of close to 1.2
billion, and is projected to increase to 1.5 billion by 2025 and 2.4 billion by
2050.
The top 10 countries that are
contributing to the increase are Nigeria, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of
the Congo, Egypt, the United Republic of Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, the Sudan, South
Africa and Algeria. Together, those 10 countries accounted for 61 per cent of
Africa’s overall population increase during the period 1980-2015.
Annual population growth rate on the
continent is very high, at 2.5 per cent over the period 1980-2015, and is
projected to remain as high as 1.5 per cent for the next 10 years.
Urban population is currently estimated
at 40 per cent, compared with 27 per cent in 1980. Despite that rapid increase
and the fact that it is the fastest urbanizing region globally, Africa remains
the least urbanized continent in the world.
The most urbanized countries on the
continent are Gabon, Libya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti,
Algeria, Cabo Verde, Tunisia, the Congo and South Africa. The average growth
rate in the urban population stands at 3.7 per cent and is projected to remain
as high as 2.6 per cent during the period 2025-2050.
Africa’s urban population is expected to
increase by an additional 867 million over the next 35 years. By 2050, Africa will
be majority urban, with nearly 56 per cent of its population living in urban
areas.
This precipitous rise owes to the
fact that infant and child mortality has dropped dramatically, and life
expectancy, though still relatively low, has improved. On average fertility
rates remain high at about five children per woman. Until Africa’s fertility
rate falls sharply, its population will increse exponentially. This growth will
be fueled by the young age structure of the African population (the phenomenon
known as the population momentum). Africa’s population will also remain very
young with a median age of just 20 years, as compared with 43 in Europe. By
2035, more than half of all new jobseekers will be African.
However,
the biggest problem can be summed up in one word: jobs. Unlike in growing and
prospering Asia only a few countries, among them Ethiopia, have anything like a
coherent industrial policy.
Africa’s demographics are unique and brimming with potential. In
an aging world, the region has a young and growing population. Rapid
urbanization is expected to double the population of cities within 25 years,
raising hopes for the productivity, innovation, and economic diversification
that such trends have brought to other regions.
By 2030, Africa’s middle-
and high-income groups are expected to grow by 100 million, boosting them to
over 160 million people across the region. These rapidly expanding groups of
consumers will spend smaller portions of their income on basic necessities such
as food and beverages and more on transportation, information and communication
technologies, housing, education, clothing and footwear, pharmaceuticals, and
other products and services.
However, significant obstacles stand between African economies and
full-tilt growth and progress.
A general lack of
financing continues to constrain growth and development in the region, as less
than a quarter of adults have access to formal financial services. The region’s
infrastructure gap—a lack of electricity, roads and other transportation, and
sanitation, for example—is not closing as quickly as regional governments had
hoped. Growing cities, despite their potential, continue to struggle in terms
of costliness, housing availability, efficient delivery of services, and other
issues.
The
Demographic Profile of African Countries (United Nations)
Africa’s
Population in the 21st Century
Shaping
the Future of Africa
Jorge
Emilio Núñez
Twitter:
@London1701
08th October 2018
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