The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs has ranked Nigeria as the sixth most populous country in the world
The lasted ranking report revealed that Nigeria now has a projected population of 216 million people.
The report which was released on Tuesday to mark World Population Day says Nigeria in its new position now has about 2.7% of the global population.
According to the United Nations (UN), World Population Prospects 2022, the global population has reached an estimated 8 billion people, where more than half of the projected population live in just eight countries. The 8 countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, India, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania.
The Media Associate of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Nigeria, Hajiya Kori Habib, in a statement, said the new population report revealed that “Asia and Africa drove much of that growth, and are expected to drive the next billion in 2037, while Europe’s contribution will be negative due to declining population.
“India, the largest contributor to the eight billion (177 million) will surpass China, the second largest contributor (73 million), while China in the next billion will be negative as the world’s most populous nation by 2023.
“Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, has a consistently high population growth rate.”
In the report, world population is projected to attain a peak of around 10.4 billion people in 2080s and to remain at that level until 2100.
The United Nations report further revealed that fertility level has fallen in recent decades in many countries.
“Today, two-thirds of the global population lives in a country or area where lifetime fertility is below 2.1 births per woman, roughly the level required for zero growth in the long run for a population with low mortality.
“The populations of 61 countries or areas are projected to decrease by 1% or more between 2022 and 2050, owing to sustained low levels of fertility and, in some cases, elevated rates of emigration.
“More than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in eight countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania.
“Countries of sub-Saharan Africa are expected to contribute more than half of the increase anticipated through 2050,” the report stated.