"When we devote attention and resources to the education, health and well being of adolescent girls, they will become an even greater force for positive change in society that will have an impact for generations to come. On this World Population Day, let us pledge to support adolescent girls to realize their potential and contribute to our shared future."
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Message for World Population Day
11 July 2013
The total population in Nigeria was last recorded at 166.2
million people in 2012 (from 45.2 million in 1960). The National
Population Commission (NPC) expects that Nigeria’s population will hit
the 170 million mark this year. About 63% of the population is under 25,
and unemployment is at 23.9%, with youth unemployment in particular at
about 37%.
The UN predicts that Africa – and Nigeria in particular – will be at
forefront of a huge global population rise over next century: Nigeria’s
population is expected to surpass that of the US by 2050.
New UN projections predict the country could be the world’s third
most populous by the end of this century (the global Population
Reference Bureau (PRB) projects it will be the world’s fourth most
populous country, with 400 million people – just less than the projected
figure for the United States, even with only one tenth of its
territory.)
THIS MAY BE GOOD FOR THE RETAILERS ABROAD, BUT COULD BE BAD FOR LOW INCOME EARNERS, AND SLUGGISH LOCAL MANUFACTURERS
Official figures say absolute poverty rose to 60 percent last year
(from 54.7 percent in 2004), and this is worsened by rapid population
growth. Some 100 million Nigerians are said to live in poverty.
More than half of the growth predicted between now and 2050 is
expected in Africa; the number of people is set to more than double,
from 1.1 billion to 2.4 billion. Africa’s population expected to
continue to rise, even if there is a future drop in the average number
of children each woman has (currently about 5).
India is currently the world’s second-largest country by population,
and is expected to rival China in size soon as 2028, when both nations
will each have about 1.45 billion citizens. After 2030, China is
expected to shrink in numbers, reaching an estimated 1.1 billion by the
end of this century, when India’s population is projected to reach about
1.5 billion.
AN AGING POPULATION
Today, the average person is 29 years old. This is expected to
increase to 36 by 2050 (probably due to later marriage and technological
advancement alongside an already ageing population). In less than 10
years, the UN expects that more than one billion people in the world
will be 60 years old, or older.
The world population edged to 7 billion people in 2011 (up from 2.5 billion in 1950), and will probably be 8 billion by 2030.
EVEN WITH – AND PROBABLY BECAUSE OF – TECHNOLOGY, DO YOU
IMAGINE THIS COULD BE A PROBLEM FOR COUNTRIES; ESPECIALLY ONE SUCH AS
NIGERIA?
In 1989, the Governing Council of the United Nations Development
Programme recommended that 11 July should be observed by the
international community as World Population Day.
This year, the focus is on Adolescent Pregnancy.
About 16 million girls under age 18 give birth each year. Another 3.2
million undergo unsafe abortions. 90 per cent of pregnant adolescents
in the developing world are married, but pregnancy is often not an
informed choice.
For countries such as Nigeria – which is still grappling with
maternal and child mortality – this poses a problem. About 16 million
girls in the world aged 15-19 give birth each year, and complications
from pregnancy and child birth are the leading cause of death among
girls in this age group, especially in developing countries.
Written by Samuel Afe
(References: UN,UNFP; The Guardian)
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