Sub-Saharan Africa’s Population Will Nearly Double to More than 2 billion by Mid-century

As the global population reaches 8 billion on Tuesday, the effects of Tanzania’s rapid growth are evident. The population has increased by 37% over the past decade to almost 63 million according to the latest UN figures, and, projections suggest, is expected to grow between 2% and 3% a year until 2050. Dar es Salaam, which is heading for megacity status, typifies a region growing three times faster than the global average. Tanzania will be one of eight countries responsible for more than half of the increase in global population over the next three decades: five of those countries will be in Africa. The region is growing three times faster than the global average and, by 2070, it will become the most populous place globally, surpassing Asia. Dar es Salaam, the former Tanzanian capital, is one of the world’s fastest growing cities, and the number of people in the economic hub is expected to double by 2050 to more than 10 million, ranking it alongside such megacities as Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lagos in Nigeria and Cairo in Egypt. The country’s leaders have raised alarm at the numbers. Last month, the president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, called for better family planning, saying the high number of births will put pressure on education, healthcare and food.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN