While birth rates are decreasing not only in developed countries but also in developing countries, there are still places where the population is rapidly increasing. It’s Africa. Although most regions are experiencing aging and low birth rates, the youth population in Africa is rapidly increasing, leading to a diagnosis that youth unemployment will become a global social problem.
The New York Times (NYT) predicted on the 28th (local time) that Africa’s population will double over the next 25 years, reaching 2.5 billion. He also predicted that there would be major changes in Africa’s position and relationships in the world.
According to NYT, the United Nations estimated that Africa’s population share, which was only 8% of the world’s population in 1950, will increase significantly to 25% by 2050. If this actually proceeds, the proportion of Africans in the next 100 years will increase by more than three times.
By age, the youth population is expected to increase particularly rapidly. Accordingly, it is predicted that the African youth population aged 15 to 24 will account for more than one-third of the world’s youth in 25 years.
‘Young’ Africa can be confirmed by looking at the current median age. The current median age on the African continent is 19 years, which is 9 years younger than India, the world’s most populous country (median age 28 years). The median age of the United States and China is 38 years old, which is a big difference.
Africa also dominates in terms of working-age population. In Africa카지노사이트, the working-age population aged 15 to 65 is expected to reach 1 billion within 10 years. This makes it the region with the largest workforce, surpassing India and China.
Meanwhile, the chronic unemployment problem that Africa is already experiencing is expected to emerge as an important social problem. This does not appear to be limited to the African continent. The increasing number of ‘young refugees’ leaving Africa for Europe can also be seen in the same context.
Aubrey Hruby, author of ‘Next Africa’, pointed out that the problem of ‘unemployment in Africa’ is a ‘problem for the whole world’. He said, “After climate change, Africa’s jobs crisis will become the essential problem of our time.”
NYT pointed out that Africa is in a worse situation compared to Korea, China, and Japan, which solved these problems through industrialization in the 70s and 80s.
As many African countries have failed to industrialize, Africa’s share of the global manufacturing sector is lower than it was in the 1980s. Poor infrastructure, such as chronic lack of electricity, is also cited as an obstacle.
