Africa is behind Asia, one of the continents with Asia that has the highest birth rate in the world. Some countries also on the African continent carry population growth.

Forecasts on population growth

According to the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia will be in 2050 among the ten most populous countries in the world with Nigeria in fourth place. Also, West Africa will be the engine of population growth in Africa. Then, behind the DRC, Nigeria and Ethiopia, will be among the twenty most populous countries: Egypt, Tanzania, Sudan or Uganda. Finally, Burundi could face serious problems because according to demographers, the country would know in 2050 a population three times greater than the current population. This growth is explained by the maintenance of a high birth rate and the decline in mortality in the country.

Fertility rate

Alongside these demographic forecasts, we are interested in the fertility rate. Indeed, Niger comes at the top of this ranking with an average of seven children per woman. Also, at this pace, countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso or Niger will see their population multiplied by more than 2.5 by 2050. In contrast, we see a decline in fertility rates in some countries, countries like Côte d’Ivoire, Benin or Togo.

Ranking of the 5 most fertile countries

1. Niger: 7.68 children

2. Uganda: 6.73 children

3. Mali: 6.54 children

4. Somalia: 6.44 children

5. Burundi: 6.25 children