Nigeria’s population will surpass those of China and the United States by 2100, according to a world population growth forecast by a group of scientists.
The study, published in the Lancet medical journal on Wednesday, says the number of people will peak in 2064 and drop to about 8.8 billion by 2100, a figure two billion less than the UN’s estimate.
According to the study, the five countries with the largest population by 2100 will be India with 1.09 billion, Nigeria with 791 million, China with 732 million, the U.S. with 336 million and Pakistan with 248 million.
China’s population, however, is projected to decline by 48 per cent.
“Findings also suggest a shifting age structure in many parts of the world with 2·37 billion (1·91–2·87) individuals older than 65 years and 1·70 billion (1·11–2·81) individuals younger than 20 years, forecasted globally in 2100,” the article added.
Latest data (July 1, 2020) from the U.S. Census Bureau put Nigeria’s population at 214 million while China and the United States are 1.4 billion and 330 million respectively.
“In the reference scenario, the global population was projected to peak in 2064 at 9·73 billion (8·84–10·9) people and decline to 8·79 billion (6·83–11·8) in 2100,” the study out on Tuesday said.
The study added that under the UN forecast, the global population in 2100 would be 10.88 billion.
Meanwhile, in more than 20 countries including Japan, Thailand, and Spain, the population is expected to decline by more than 50 per cent from 2017 to 2100.
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