In Lagos, more than 15 million people are already vying for basic necessities.
According to the United Nations, Nigeria’s population is projected to increase even more during the next three decades, from 216 million this year to 375 million, making it the fourth most populated nation in the world, behind only India, China, and the United States.
The UN estimates that the world’s population will reach 8 billion on Tuesday, however authorities are cautious to point out that this is not a specific date.
Along with Tanzania, Congo, Ethiopia, and Ethiopia, Nigeria is one of the eight nations the UN predicts will contribute for more than half of the population increase in the globe between now and 2050.
India, Pakistan, and the Philippines round up the list of nations most responsible for the population growth.
Due to the effects of climate change on food production, such fast population expansion also implies that more people will be competing for dwindling water supplies and might lead to an increase in the number of hungry families.
In the second half of the present century, the UN has said that reducing population increase “over several decades might assist to offset the further accumulating environmental harm.”
Population growth in sub-Saharan Africa is 2.5%, which is more than three times the rate seen globally.
Even if individuals are living longer, the primary cause of this is still family size.
The average number of births per woman in sub-Saharan Africa is 4.6, which is double the current world average of 2.3.
According to UN statistics, 4 out of 10 girls are married before they become 18 years old, contributing to the high prevalence of child marriage.
Additionally, sub-Saharan Africa has the highest prevalence of adolescent pregnancies in the world; about half of all infants born last year to moms under 20 globally were born in this region.
Omolayo Adeleke, a nurse in Nigeria’s busiest metropolis, thinks that particular regions of the country’s customs and traditions have a significant impact on the high population number.
However, the UN has said that any measures to cut family sizes today will be too late to appreciably impact the growth estimates for 2050.
It will “be propelled by the momentum of prior expansion” for around two-thirds of it.
The custom is driven by significant cultural factors that support big families. Children are seen as a blessing and a source of support for their elders in sub-Saharan Africa. The larger the family’s wealth and retirement comfort, the more boys and daughters there are.
