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Tanzania, Uganda populations to grow past Kenya by 2050

Thursday July 30 2015
EABurundiOpposition

The world’s population is projected to grow to just under 10 billion people by 2050 and rising to about 12.5 billion by the end of the century, with most growth recorded in developing regions, especially Africa. PHOTO | FILE

Tanzania and Uganda are among nine countries which are forecast to account for about half of the world’s population by 2050.

According to the new World Population Prospects update for 2015, released Thursday by the United Nations, both Uganda with about 102 million people and Tanzania’s 137 million are also predicted to have surpassed Kenya’s 95.5 million by 2050.

The projections imply a huge additional demand for resources such as water and food for the East Africa’s population but also mean that the region will have one of the youngest and most vibrant populace in the world in the second half of this century.

Currently Kenya has about 46 million people and is the most populous East African state after Ethiopia’s 99 million.

But Tanzania is expected to surpass Kenya’s population by 2030 and by the end of the century to be the most populous state in the region with about 299 million people, ahead of Ethiopia at 242 million, Uganda 203 million and Kenya’s 156 million.

By then, only Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo will have larger populations than Tanzania in Africa which is projected to among the top 10 most populous countries on earth, alongside Uganda and Ethiopia.

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Other countries include India, Pakistan, US and Indonesia.

The UN says there is only a small margin for error in its predictions and that by 2100 Africa will make up around 40 per cent of the world’s population. 

The world’s population is projected to grow to just under 10 billion people by 2050 and rising to about 12.5 billion by the end of the century, with most growth recorded in developing regions, especially Africa.

Unlike Africa, Europe’s population is expected to decline to 646 million from current 738 million at the turn of the century.

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