Africa could be home to nearly half the world's young people by 2100, new data shows

Africa's population has grown more than sixfold since 1950 and is projected to keep expanding through the end of the century — even as growth slows across most of the world — according to a Pew Research Center analysis published last week.

Drawing on United Nations population data, the report finds that the continent currently holds 19% of the global population but is home to 28% of all people under 25. That share is expected to rise sharply in the decades ahead.

Africa's population stood at roughly 230 million in 1950. It has since grown by approximately 1.3 billion people. Under the U.N.'s middle-range projection, the continent's population will reach 3.8 billion by 2100 — though higher-fertility scenarios put that figure as high as 5.2 billion.

The continent's fertility rate of about 3.9 births per woman is currently the highest of any world region and the only one still above the global replacement level of around 2.1 births per woman, according to Pew. There is significant variation within the continent: Chad's rate stands at 5.8 births per woman, while Tunisia's is 1.8. Africa's rate is expected to decline to 2.8 by 2050 and to 2.0 by 2100 — down considerably from a peak of 6.7 births per woman recorded in 1972.

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