Nigeria will become third most populous country by 2050 - report

The President Muhammadu Buhari led administration might start looking at avenues and ways to curb the increase in the countrys

According to the report, Nigeria will overtake the United States to become the third most populous country in the world by 2050.

This, according to the figures by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, has become a subject of discourse amongst thought leaders who feel it might have a negative effect on the country's economy.

As at 2015, when President Buhari took over the reigns of power, the population of Nigeria was put at 182.2million while the United States was put at 321.4million.

The body further noted that Nigeria is growing the most rapidly in populations among the 26 African countries that are likely to "at least double" by 2050.

"With roughly 83 million people being added to the world's population every year, the upward trend in population size is expected to continue, even assuming that fertility levels will continue to decline," the report's authors said.

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The number of persons aged 60 or above is expected to more than double by 2050 and more than triple by 2100.

The aging population is projected to rise from 962 million globally in 2017 to 2.1 billion in 2050 and 3.1 billion in 2100, said the report.