By Sola Ogundipe

By 2050, Nigeria’s population is expected to double from 201.0 million to 401.3 million people, overtaking the United States. More people will be living in Nigeria than the United States, according to the 2019 World Population Data Sheet just released by the Population Reference Bureau, PRB.

Population Reference Bureau

Africa’s most populous country, currently the world’s 7th most populous, is expected to become the world’s 3rd most populous country, even as India will surpass China as the world’s most populous country with an estimated 1.67 billion people, the PRB notes.

The report notes among  key findings of other significant population shifts expected over the next three decades: “We estimate Germany and the United Kingdom will fall out of the top 20 most populous countries by 2050, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, will rocket up from the world’s 16th most populous country in 2019 to 9th place by 2050.

“The DRC’s anticipated growth will make it the 3rd most populous country in Africa by 2050, supplanting Egypt from its current position in the top three.

“US fertility has dropped to 1.7, the lowest level in recorded history. The global total fertility rate continues to decline but at 2.4 remains high enough to ensure continued population growth.”

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According to the data, Europe and Asia are aging rapidly, while Africa is home to the World’s largest youth population.

“Aging trends in many parts of the world are holding steady, with countries in Asia and Europe having some of the world’s oldest populations, and countries in Africa having some of the youngest.

As of  Tuesday 24th September 2019, the global population was 7,732,774,769 with an average of 383,656 births per day according to the World Population Review which predicts that by 2030, the global  population will exceed eight billion, in 2040, grow to more than nine billion, and in 2055, rise to over 10 billion.

With a fertility rate of 38 births per 1000 population, Nigeria’s current population is  estimated at 202,102,460, according to the World Population Review.

It is gathered that the current annual population growth estimates that over 80 million new lives are added each year. The report notes that Niger’s total fertility rate, or average births per woman over their lifetime, is 7—the highest in the world.

Other details from the PRB report notes that: “At just 0.9 births per women, Macao has the lowest total fertility rate in the world, followed by South Korea and Andorra, both at 1. Women in the United States have an average of 1.7 births in their lifetime, while women in China average 1.6; India, 2.2; and Kenya, 3.6.

Albania, Chad, and South Sudan have the lowest percentages of married women ages 15 to 49 using modern contraceptive methods, at 5 percent or lower.

“Men and women’s life expectancy at birth is the highest in Hong Kong (82 years for males, 88 years for females) and lowest in Central African Republic (50 years for males, 54 years for females).”

The PRB report observed that countries in Africa are home to some of the world’s youngest populations, those ages 15 or below, including Niger (50 percent); Angola, Chad, and Mali (48 percent); and Uganda and Somalia (47 percent). In contrast, 27 percent of India’s population is age 15 or below.

“China’s young population is at 18 percent, and in the United States, it’s 19 percent. Asia and Europe are home to some of the world’s oldest populations, those ages 65 and above. They include Japan (28 percent), Monaco (26 percent), and Italy (23 percent). Twelve percent of China’s population is aged 65 or above. That share is 16 percent in the United States, 6 percent in India, and 3 percent in Nigeria.”

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