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Africa's population set to double to 2.4billion by 2050 due to better medicine and improved health care
Population expected to rise from 1.1billion today to 2.4 billion by 2050 Projections assume that family planning will become more widespread Women in sub-Saharan Africa give birth to an average of 5.2 children In Niger mothers have on average 7.6 children Top 10 countries with the highest fertility are all in sub-Saharan Africa
By Tom Gardner PUBLISHED: 10:31 GMT, 13 September 2013 | UPDATED: 10:34 GMT, 13 September 2013

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Africa's population is set to double to more than 2.4billion over the next few decades due to improved health care and medicines, a new study found. Sub-Saharan Africa - the worlds poorest region - will record the largest amount of population growth of any area in the world between now and 2050, according to the Population Reference Bureau (PRB). But the massive baby boom could put huge strain on resources and fledgling economies in some of the world's most deprived areas, the PRB warned.

Care: Wide-reaching vaccination programmes and medical care mean more children are surviving to reach adulthood

And the projected growth in population assumes that family planning will become more widespread in regions where, for religious or cultural reasons, contraception has not been widely adopted. The 10 countries worldwide with the highest fertility are all in sub-Saharan Africa. Today, women in sub-Saharan Africa average 5.2 children, a rate that rises as high as 7.6 in Niger. And improved access to medicine and health care mean millions more of these children will now survive to adulthood. Wendy Baldwin, the organisation's president and CEO, said: 'Nearly all of that growth will be in the 51 countries of sub-Saharan Africa, the regions poorest. 'Rapid population growth makes it difficult for economies to create enough jobs to lift large numbers of people out of poverty.' In addition to high birth rates, the regions population is also quite young, with 43 percent of the population below age 15.

Population rise: Improvements in medicine and health care are leading to more children surviving infancy in sub-Saharan Africa (File picture)

Devastation: Famine and illness had meant many children died long before they could go on to become mothers and fathers

Carl Haub, senior demographer and co-author of the data sheet, said: 'Given its youthful population, future population growth in Africa will depend upon the degree to which the parents of tomorrow use family

planning. 'The projections that we cite assume that family planning will become more widespread. If not, Africas population will grow more rapidly, further constraining efforts to address poverty, create jobs, and protect the environment.' This years Data Sheet provides detailed information on 20 population, health, and environment indicators for more than 200 countries, and has a special focus on wealth and income inequality. Developing countries tend to have wide income gaps between rich and poor that are associated with dramatic differences in fertility and health. In Uganda, women from the poorest fifth of families have twice as many children as those from the wealthiest fifth. And children from the poorest families are much more likely to die before turning 5 than their counterparts in the wealthiest families. PRBs 2013 World Population Data Sheet shows the stark contrasts between rich and poor countries, illustrated by comparing Niger and the Netherlands.

THE DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDE: NIGER AND NETHERLANDS

Niger Population (2013) Projected Population (2050) 2050 Projected Population as a Multiple of 2013 Lifetime Births per Woman Annual Births Annual Deaths % of Population Below Age 15 % of Population Ages 65+ (2013) % of Population Ages 65+ (projected 2050) Life Expectancy at Birth (all) Infant Mortality Rate (per 1,000 live births) Annual Number of Infant Deaths 16.9 million 65.8 million 3.9 7.6 845,000 195,000 50% 3% 3% 57 years 51 43,000 Netherlands 16.8 million 17.9 million 1.1 1.7 176,000 141,000 17% 16% 27% 81 years 3.7 650

Even though the two countries have almost the same population size today, Niger is projected to nearly quadruple its population from about 17 million today to 66 million in 2050. The Netherlands population will likely grow very slowly from 17 million to 18 million over that same time. At the root of this 'demographic divide' are differences in the average number of births per woman and the share of the population in their childbearing years. Nigers total fertility rate of 7.6 lifetime births per woman is more than four times the Netherlands rate of 1.7 per woman. One-half of Nigers population is younger than age 15, compared with 17 percent of the Netherlands population.

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Comments (49)
Newest Oldest Best rated Worst rated View all So that means the British tax payers will have to fund them and feed them with millions more added to the aid bill .Watch out for more cuts and tax rises for us, and our standard of living drop again..Start the message for their people to have birth control..OR STOP THE AID.. - jan , uk, United Kingdom, 13/9/2013 17:01 Click to rate Report abuse HELP! - charlotteischarlotte , Ashford, United Kingdom, 13/9/2013 16:56 Click to rate Report abuse WHO WILL FEED THESE PEOPLE ? will the earth support this kind of growth? is there enough water? is this growth caused by forty five years of aid? has the continent realy been helped by aid? - bill newcastle , gateshead, United Kingdom, 13/9/2013 16:56 Click to rate Report abuse So all the comic relief could not have been more pointless as the same problems will just happen on a bigger scale, I suppose we will increase the foreign help bill even more to cover. Terrible. - Leaveinovenfor30mins , My house, United Kingdom, 13/9/2013 16:53 Click to rate Report abuse Oh dear......................time to be handing out contraception before the whole continent implodes. - ladysam , southampton, 13/9/2013 16:52 Click to rate Report abuse Which of course is wholly unsustainable. - Simon Knowles , Thatcham, 13/9/2013 16:42 Click to rate Report abuse Rating 14 Rating 13 Rating 16 Rating 14 Rating 11 Rating 19

My Dad used to say that if you send aid to help them one year, there'll just be more that will need help the next. If the local land cannot support the population, the population should naturally shrink to achieve a balance. Cruel but true. - Brian , London, United Kingdom, 13/9/2013 15:42 Click to rate Report abuse They don't have enough food and water for the amount of people they have now - Grumpy Old Man , Southampton, United Kingdom, 13/9/2013 15:31 Click to rate Report abuse nothing to do with Catholics non rubber use rule then - john , milton keynes, United Kingdom, 13/9/2013 15:30 Click to rate Report abuse Time to stop all overseas aid & replace it with condoms! (Where DOES this 'aid' go to? We have been contributing to 'clean water for Africa' for at least 60 years..& STILL the appeals go on)! - Peter , Sutton, United Kingdom, 13/9/2013 15:28 Click to rate Report abuse Share this comment The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Rating 15 Rating 8 Rating 10 Rating 16

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