The world is projected to add 3.1 billion people to the total population and 1.4 billion people to the working-age population between 2020 and 2100. Almost all of the additional working-age people will be added in Sub-Saharan Africa, a dramatic change from previous decades when the growth of the working-age population was concentrated in Asia. A new GLM|LIC synthesis report analyzes the demography of the African labor force in the coming decades using the latest United Nations population projections. According to the report, by 2050 Africa will be the only region in the world with a growing working-age population, and will be the only region in which the ratio of dependents to working-age population is falling. These dramatic differences between Africa and other regions are the result of Africa’s later and slower fertility decline, with fertility still high in many countries.
Check the details and implications in the new Synthesis Report “The Demography of the Labor Force in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Opportunities” by David Lam, Murray Leibbrandt and James Allen here
