25 out of 100 people living in the world by 2050 will be Africans a new report has revealed, with the number projected to probably rise to almost 40 in 100 people by the end of the 21st century.

According to The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) demographics report, the Generation 2030/Africa Report, Africans will count for a quarter of the world population in the next 35 years thanks to high fertility rates and rising numbers of women of reproductive age.

The report indicates that there will be a massive shift in the world’s child population towards Africa and the continent will be home to two out of five children in the world, accounting for 41 per cent of all the world’s births, 40 per cent of all global under-fives, 37 per cent of all children under-18 and 35 per cent of all adolescents by the by mid-century, based on global population projections. According to the Generation 2030/Africa Report, Africa’s under-18 population will increase by two-thirds to reach almost a billion children.

TWO BILLION BABIES WILL BE BORN IN AFRICA BY 2050

Over the next 35 years, almost two billion babies will be born in Africa; the continent’s population will double in size; and its under-18 population will increase by two-thirds to reach almost a billion children.

‘’This unprecedented projected increase gives policymakers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to craft a child-focused investment strategy that enables the continent, and the world, to reap the benefits of Africa’s demographic transition,” the report reads in part.

AFRICA’S POPULATION TO DOUBLE BY 2050

Currently there are 1.2 billion people in Africa; 16 among 100 of the world’s inhabitants are African. It is projected that by 2050, Africa’s population will double to 2.4 billion and eventually reach 4.2 billion by the end of the century based on current trends.

The report calls for investment in expanding access to reproductive health services and efforts to empower girls and keep them in school. National development plans must adapt to prepare for demographic shifts, notably through stronger civil registration and vital statistics systems.