UN says Nigeria, 7 others to make up more than half of global population increase by 2050

The United Nations has revealed that Nigeria alongside, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania will occupy more than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050.

This information is contained in a UN report which stated that the world’s population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050, before reaching a peak of around 10.4 billion people during the 2080s and expected to remain at that level until 2100.

The UN also warned that the COVID pandemic had an effect on population change as global life expectancy at birth fell to 71 years in 2021 (down from 72.9 in 2019) and also produced short-term reductions in numbers of pregnancies and births.

The United Nations stated, “More than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in eight countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania.”

It added that countries of sub-Saharan Africa are expected to contribute more than half of the increase anticipated through 2050.

Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, warned that “rapid population growth makes eradicating poverty, combatting hunger and malnutrition, and increasing the coverage of health and education systems more difficult.”

The UN projects that the world’s population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050, before reaching a peak of around 10.4 billion people during the 2080s. The population is expected to remain at that level until 2100.

The international organisation also projects a “demographic dividend” in most countries of sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in parts of Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean, due to a rise in the share of the working age population (25 to 64 years), providing an opportunity for accelerated economic growth per capita.

“The projection is revealed in the UN’s World Population Prospects 2022 report, which also shows that India is on course to surpass China as the world’s most populous country in 2023,” it added.