A country slightly bigger than Texas is projected to match the US's population by 2050 [View all]

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A country slightly bigger than Texas is projected to match the US's population by 2050 — and it shows how radically the world is going to change over the next three decades

In contrast to the countries facing down the possibility of an aging, shrinking populace, there are other parts of the world that are set to take the baton of population growth in the coming decades. Perhaps the most notable of these rapid-risers is Nigeria.

As recently as 1982, Nigeria had a population of fewer than 80 million people and was outside the world's 10 most populous countries. In the 41 years since, Nigeria's population has nearly tripled to 225 million, moving up to sixth on the list. And that is not expected to slow down.

According to the most recent UN projections, Nigeria will nearly double its population again by 2050 to an estimated 377 million. In the process, the country will leap-frog Pakistan and Indonesia and end up in a virtual tie with the US as the third most populous country in the world. That's incredible for a country that is just a bit bigger than the area of Texas.

Nigeria's stunning growth is also indicative of the growth of the African continent. According to the UN estimates, five of the eight countries that are expected to make up half of the world's population growth over the next 27 years are in Africa. In an interview with Africa News, Tighisti Amare, the Deputy Director of the Africa Programme Chatham House in London, pointed out that Africa is the fastest-growing continent and the youngest, noting that 70% of the population is under 30.

"The population growth is, of course, partly explained by improvement in level and access to public health," Amare said. "That has led to decrease in child mortality. And that by itself is good news. And the other good news is that also by having a young population, most African nations do not have the burden of a large elderly population that relies on taxes and pensions, which can be a strain on the economy as well."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/a-country-slightly-bigger-than-texas-is-projected-to-match-the-us-s-population-by-2050-and-it-shows-how-radically-the-world-is-going-to-change-over-the-next-three-decades/ar-AA1dJy8Q

The comments following the article show how scared this makes rightwingers