Saturday, November 20, 2021

Population Growth in Africa

Recent population studies have suggested that Africa will be the only continent experiencing population growth by the end of this century. Currently most of the world's most populated cities are in Asia. However by the end of this century it is predicted that over half of the world's largest cities will be in Africa.

The Washington Post has mapped out predictions of the world's 100 most populated cities in 2025 and in 2100. The 2025 map of the 100 most populated cities in Africa's Rising Cities shows that the largest urban populations are currently mostly concentrated in Asia, particularly in India and China. However the Post's map of the predicted 100 most populated cities in 2100 shows that Africa is set to become home to the world's largest metropolises. 

The Washington Post predicts that Lagos, Nigeria will become the most populated city in the world by the end of this century. It predicts that the city will have a population of 80m by 2100 (in comparison Tokyo currently has a population of nearly 14 million). The Post suggests that among other African cities expected to see explosive population growths over the course of this century are Khartoum (Sudan), Kinshasa (Congo), Mombasa (Kenya) and Abidjan (Ivory Coast). The article accompanying the map in Africa's Rising Cities goes on to explore some of the infrastructure challenges already being faced by these five African cities and the huge challenges that they will face in the coming years from their predicted population explosions.

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