Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. It is home to over 214 million people and this, alongside the fact that it is the largest economy in Africa, means that it has a lot of power in the region. As many countries of the world begin to think about a future with a declining population and what this will mean for their development, Nigeria continues to experience rapid population growth. It is predicted that by 2050, the population will be over 377 million people.
The high fertility rate in Nigeria is the main reason for its continued population growth. The fertility rate is the average number of children born per woman. If the fertility rate of a country is above 2.1 (known as the replacement level), then the population will increase. However, if the fertility rates fall below 2.1 then, without migration, the population will fall over time. As you can see from Figure 1, above, in many regions of the world the fertility rate is now below the replacement level.
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