According to a new United Nations (UN) report –
2015 Revision of World Population Prospects – released Wednesday 29 July, Nigeria is one of the six countries whose population will exceed the 300 million mark in less than two decades. China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and the United States (U.S.) were the other countries.
It was also stated that Nigeria’s population is the most rapid in terms of growth.
Excerpts from the report:
“Among the 10 largest countries in the world currently, one is in Africa (Nigeria), five are in Asia (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan), two are in Latin America (Brazil and Mexico), one is in Northern America (US), and one is in Europe (Russian Federation).
“Of these, Nigeria’s population, currently the seventh largest in the world, is growing the most rapidly,” said the report. Consequently, the population of Nigeria is projected to surpass that of the United States by about 2050, at which point it would become the third largest country in the world.
“In 2015, 50.4 per cent of the world’s population is male and 49.6 per cent is female. The median age of the global population, that is, the age at which half the population is older and half is younger, is 29.6 years. About one-quarter (26 per cent) of the world’s people are under 15 years of age, 62 per cent are aged 15-59 years, and 12 per cent are 60 or over.”
“Consequently, of the additional 2.4 billion people projected to be added to the global population between 2015 and 2050, 1.3 billion will be added in Africa.”
Other notable points from the report included a projection of the world’s population reaching 9.7 billion by 2050 and exceeding 11 billion in 2100. India is also expected to replace China as the most populous country in the next seven years.
Thirdly, half of the world’s population growth will be concentrated in Nigeria and eight other countries: India, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania, the United States, Indonesia and Uganda.
The report was prepared by the Economic and Social Affairs department of the UN.
Significantly, this is the 24th round of official UN population estimates and projections.
Related
You might also like:
This article was first published on 30th July 2015
ify
Ify Halim is a Writer and media enthusiast based in Lagos. She enjoys writing self-help/inspirational articles with published work in UYD Magazine, Edufrica, Our Stories Inc. and The Keele Concourse. She currently works at ConnectNigeria.com, Nigeria’s Information Portal. Follow her on Twitter @MissHalim or visit her online space at ifyhalim.wordpress.com
Comments (0)
