By 2050, Africa will double its 2020 population and will remain the world’s youngest region, with a median age of under 25 years old. This growth will concentrate in Africa’s cities, whose population, over three decades, will increase by 800 million people – the equivalent of the entire urban population of Europe and North America.
Data Source: World Bank, UN DESA, 2023 based on 2022 data.
This rapid, youthful urban growth presents both opportunities and challenges. To reap the demographic dividends of the youth bulge in African cities, leaders and policymakers need to act decisively to create the conditions for sustainable development. If they do not, Africa’s cities risk failing the social, human capital, political, and environmental needs of the ‘youth bulge’ generation.
