Nigeria’s Population May Balloon To 400m By 2050- Minister

Nigeria’s Population May Balloon To 400m By 2050- Minister

The Minister for State for Health, Joseph Ekumankama, has said without effective population policies to reduce the high fertility rate, Nigeria will be about the fourth or fifth most populous country in the world with a projected population of about 400 million by 2050.

He said the demographic trend had implications for Nigeria’s economic development because the youth population was dependent.

Ekumankama said, “Without effective population policies to reduce the high fertility rate, Nigeria will be about the fourth or fifth most populous country in the world with a projected population of about 400 million by 2050.

“It will then mean that rapid population will put substantial pressure on the country’s capacity to provide quality social services such as foods, clinics, and adequate sanitation and other basic needs.”

The minister added that achieving the commitment of the modern contraceptive prevalence rate of 27 per cent by 2030 was a beautiful milestone in ensuring universal access to reproductive health.

Meanwhile, the number of Nigerian women using modern contraceptive methods is 12 per cent while 19 per cent of women have an unmet need for family planning.

This is according to the latest figure by the Association for the Advancement of Family Planning.