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The Inquiry: How Will a Population Boom Change Africa?

How Will A Population Boom Change Africa?

22/12/2015 GMT

How Will a Population Boom Change Africa?

BBC World Service - The Inquiry, How Will a Population Boom Change Africa?

The UN forecasts that the number of people living in Africa will double in 35 years

The UN says the number of people living in Africa will double in 35 years. There are fears about the impact of a demographic explosion. But it could be a good news story.

The UN forecasts that the number of people living in Africa will double in the next 35 years. Nigeria, the fastest-growing nation, is expected to become the third-largest country in the world by 2050. By the end of the century, almost 40% of the world’s population will live on this one continent. It raises questions about how countries – some of which are already facing big challenges – will cope with twice the number of inhabitants in just one generation. There are fears about the impact a demographic explosion will have on health, society and the environment. But others say Africa’s population boom could turn out to be a good news story. How will a population boom change Africa? Ruth Alexander investigates.

(Photo: Onitsha-Asaba Highway. Credit: Pius Utomi Ekpei/Getty Images)

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