A new French study has projected the world’s population will rise to 9.7 billion in the next 37 years (2050). Currently, the population stands at 7.1 billion.

AFRICA HOME ONE-IN-FOUR PEOPLE BY 2050

According to the bi-annual report by the French Institute of Demographic Studies (INED) there will be 11 billion people on the planet by the end of the century. Africa has also been projected to be home to a quarter of the world’s population in 2050 with 2.5 billion people, which is more than double the current level of 1.1 billion.

CHINA AND INDIA MOST POPULOUS

China takes is currently the most populous country in the world followed by India. Together China (1.3 billion) and India (1.2 billion) constitute about 37 per cent of the current world’s population. India is projected to overtake China as the world’s most populous nation in 2050 with 1.6 billion people with China at 1.3 billion.

AFRICA POOREST CONTINENT BUT ECONOMIES GROWING

According to Gilles Pison, the author of the report, the prevailing fertility rates in Africa is about 4.8 children per woman which is double the global average of 2.5.

The report says that Africa is the world’s poorest inhabited continent as measured by GDP per capita and the second-most-populated continent in the world after Asia. Nevertheless, some African countries consist of the fastest growing economies in the world in recent years.

TOP TEN COUNTRIES WITH THE HIGHEST POPULATION

1.    China
2.    India
3.    United States
4.    Indonesia
5.     Brazil
6.    Pakistan
7.    Bangladesh
8.     Nigeria
9.    Russia
10.    Japan