In the face of rapid demographic transitions, Sub-Saharan African countries stand at a critical juncture where the potential for harnessing a demographic dividend to fuel economic growth is immense. This demographic shift presents both challenges and opportunities, with the right investments in health, education, and employment, countries can turn the growing youth population into a powerful engine for development, driving substantial and sustainable economic progress across the region. This study examines the demographic structure effect on economic growth in the context of structural changes in 26 sub-Saharan African countries. Using data from 1992 to 2019 in the PMG-ARDL, FMOLS, and DOLS estimates, we find that demographic structure has a positive influence on economic growth in the long run, which occurs through effective structural change, that is, structural changes that occur with an increase in labor productivity growth. Indeed, our results show that structural changes are relevant in transforming African youth debt into demographic dividends. The study investigates the impact of demographic structure on economic growth within the context of structural changes in 26 sub-Saharan African countries from 1992 to 2019. It provides a detailed analysis of the impact of demographic transition, characterized by declining fertility rates and an expanding working-age population, on economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa. It highlights the importance of structural changes, such as labor productivity and sectoral composition variations, to transform demographic advantages into sustainable economic growth. Using robust econometric methods (PMG-ARDL, FMOLS, and DOLS), the research demonstrates a significant positive long-term impact of demographic structure on economic development, mediated by effective structural change. The policy implications include promoting family planning and education for young girls, which will help reduce dependency ratios, accelerate demographic transitions, and encourage industrialization and innovation to drive structural change and improve labor productivity. Incorporating demographic characteristics such as education levels and health status into economic planning will help maximize the benefits of demographic transitions. Recommendations include encouraging demographic and sectoral policies to effectively manage demographic transitions and promote structural change and innovation. Future research should include country-specific analyses to address heterogeneity and incorporate additional indicators such as education and health to capture their nuanced impacts on economic growth. The results of this study are significant for policymakers, researchers, and development practitioners working in sub-Saharan Africa. By providing empirical evidence on the interaction between demographic structure and structural change, the study offers valuable insights into strategies for leveraging the demographic dividend to fuel sustainable economic growth in the region. This research contributes to a better understanding of how to navigate demographic transitions and structural changes to achieve long-term economic development.

Additional file 3. Review of national policy documents from Nigeria.

Explore annual GDP growth rates for various countries with this dataset. Analyze trends and patterns related to GDP growth to make informed decisions. Click here for more information!

GDP growth (annual %), GDP, Growth Rates

Kenya, Spain, Syrian Arab Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, El Salvador, Italy, Sint Maarten (Dutch part), Comoros, Kosovo, Argentina, Bulgaria, Guinea-Bissau, Slovenia, Guinea, Belize, Low income, Lower middle income, New Caledonia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Benin, World, Kyrgyz Republic, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Burundi, Korea, Rep., Low & middle income, Euro area, Libya, Luxembourg, Namibia, Kiribati, India, Burkina Faso, East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), Tajikistan, Lao PDR, Equatorial Guinea, Niger, Liechtenstein, Palau, Hong Kong SAR, China, Switzerland, Tonga, Qatar, Turkiye, Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income), Indonesia, Iraq, Fiji, Central Europe and the Baltics, Isle of Man, Costa Rica, Finland, Small states, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Netherlands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), Japan, Bhutan, Belgium, Australia, Denmark, Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC), Middle East & North Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), Uzbekistan, Pacific island small states, Mongolia, Gabon, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ukraine, Venezuela, RB, Latvia, Macao SAR, China, Vietnam, Arab World, Myanmar, Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), Haiti, Micronesia, Fed. Sts., Nicaragua, Panama, San Marino, Gambia, The, Guatemala, IDA & IBRD total, Azerbaijan, Chad, Zimbabwe, Mali, Bolivia, Grenada, Mexico, East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries), Timor-Leste, Dominica, Peru, Malawi, Trinidad and Tobago, Nauru, Monaco, Tuvalu, Egypt, Arab Rep., Virgin Islands (U.S.), Sao Tome and Principe, Cabo Verde, IDA only, Mozambique, Oman, Yemen, Rep., Albania, New Zealand, Latin America & Caribbean, Rwanda, Cameroon, Lesotho, Solomon Islands, Germany, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea, Maldives, Moldova, Antigua and Barbuda, Congo, Dem. Rep., Romania, Portugal, Africa Western and Central, Mauritius, France, Uruguay, Tanzania, Colombia, South Asia (IDA & IBRD), Honduras, South Sudan, Sudan, Cuba, Least developed countries: UN classification, South Asia, Tunisia, Guyana, Nepal, Barbados, Brunei Darussalam, United States, Canada, Lebanon, Africa Eastern and Southern, Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), Angola, Bahamas, The, Fragile and conflict affected situations, Malta, Middle East & North Africa, Turkmenistan, Cote d'Ivoire, Northern Mariana Islands, Thailand, Seychelles, North Macedonia, Afghanistan, Russian Federation, IBRD only, Iran, Islamic Rep., Malaysia, Djibouti, Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), Norway, Dominican Republic, French Polynesia, Jordan, Nigeria, Lithuania, Estonia, Eswatini, Vanuatu, Late-demographic dividend, St. Lucia, Cambodia, Curacao, Kuwait, Belarus, American Samoa, Bahrain, Somalia, Pre-demographic dividend, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Jamaica, Ecuador, European Union, Post-demographic dividend, Brazil, Central African Republic, Chile, Puerto Rico, Pakistan, Uganda, United Kingdom, IDA total, Marshall Islands, Czechia, Channel Islands, Poland, Togo, Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), Sweden, Iceland, Armenia, Georgia, Montenegro, Europe & Central Asia, Hungary, IDA blend, Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), Paraguay, Zambia, Andorra, OECD members, Bermuda, Early-demographic dividend, Croatia, Upper middle income, Algeria, Samoa, Eritrea, Suriname, Mauritania, Guam, China, Sri Lanka, Congo, Rep., Liberia, Greece, Botswana, East Asia & Pacific, West Bank and Gaza, Philippines, Cayman Islands, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, High income, Serbia, Caribbean small states, Greenland, Cyprus, Aruba, Ireland, Israel, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Madagascar, Other small states, Sub-Saharan Africa, Senegal, Middle income, Austria, North America Follow data.kapsarc.org for timely data to advance energy economics research.

This is a study that was conducted entirely with men recruited from households in an urban slum community located in South Western Nigeria. In this study, men were asked for their gender preferences with regards to offspring(children) and their desires to continue child birth or not.

The world's population first reached one billion people in 1805, and reached eight billion in 2022, and will peak at almost 10.2 billion by the end of the century. Although it took thousands of years to reach one billion people, it did so at the beginning of a phenomenon known as the demographic transition; from this point onwards, population growth has skyrocketed, and since the 1960s the population has increased by one billion people every 12 to 15 years. The demographic transition sees a sharp drop in mortality due to factors such as vaccination, sanitation, and improved food supply; the population boom that follows is due to increased survival rates among children and higher life expectancy among the general population; and fertility then drops in response to this population growth. Regional differences The demographic transition is a global phenomenon, but it has taken place at different times across the world. The industrialized countries of Europe and North America were the first to go through this process, followed by some states in the Western Pacific. Latin America's population then began growing at the turn of the 20th century, but the most significant period of global population growth occurred as Asia progressed in the late-1900s. As of the early 21st century, almost two-thirds of the world's population lives in Asia, although this is set to change significantly in the coming decades. Future growth The growth of Africa's population, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, will have the largest impact on global demographics in this century. From 2000 to 2100, it is expected that Africa's population will have increased by a factor of almost five. It overtook Europe in size in the late 1990s, and overtook the Americas a few years later. In contrast to Africa, Europe's population is now in decline, as birth rates are consistently below death rates in many countries, especially in the south and east, resulting in natural population decline. Similarly, the population of the Americas and Asia are expected to go into decline in the second half of this century, and only Oceania's population will still be growing alongside Africa. By 2100, the world's population will have over three billion more than today, with the vast majority of this concentrated in Africa. Demographers predict that climate change is exacerbating many of the challenges that currently hinder progress in Africa, such as political and food instability; if Africa's transition is prolonged, then it may result in further population growth that would place a strain on the region's resources, however, curbing this growth earlier would alleviate some of the pressure created by climate change.

In 2025, India overtook China as the world's most populous country and now has almost 1.46 billion people. China now has the second-largest population in the world, still with just over 1.4 billion inhabitants, however, its population went into decline in 2023. Global population As of 2025, the world's population stands at almost 8.2 billion people and is expected to reach around 10.3 billion people in the 2080s, when it will then go into decline. Due to improved healthcare, sanitation, and general living conditions, the global population continues to increase; mortality rates (particularly among infants and children) are decreasing and the median age of the world population has steadily increased for decades. As for the average life expectancy in industrial and developing countries, the gap has narrowed significantly since the mid-20th century. Asia is the most populous continent on Earth; 11 of the 20 largest countries are located there. It leads the ranking of the global population by continent by far, reporting four times as many inhabitants as Africa. The Demographic Transition The population explosion over the past two centuries is part of a phenomenon known as the demographic transition. Simply put, this transition results from a drastic reduction in mortality, which then leads to a reduction in fertility, and increase in life expectancy; this interim period where death rates are low and birth rates are high is where this population explosion occurs, and population growth can remain high as the population ages. In today's most-developed countries, the transition generally began with industrialization in the 1800s, and growth has now stabilized as birth and mortality rates have re-balanced. Across less-developed countries, the stage of this transition varies; for example, China is at a later stage than India, which accounts for the change in which country is more populous - understanding the demographic transition can help understand the reason why China's population is now going into decline. The least-developed region is Sub-Saharan Africa, where fertility rates remain close to pre-industrial levels in some countries. As these countries transition, they will undergo significant rates of population growth.

In 2023, there were five countries, where the average woman of childbearing age can expect to have over six children throughout their lifetime. In fact, of the 20 countries in the world with the highest fertility rates, Afghanistan and Yemen are the only countries not found in Sub-Saharan Africa. High fertility rates in Africa With a fertility rate of 6.13 and 6.12 children per woman, Somalia and Chad were the countries with the highest fertility rate in the world. Population growth in Chad is among the highest in the world. Lack of healthcare access, as well as food instability, political instability, and climate change, are all exacerbating conditions that keep Chad's infant mortality rates high, which is generally the driver behind high fertility rates. This situation is common across much of the continent, and, although there has been considerable progress in recent decades, development in Sub-Saharan Africa is not moving as quickly as it did in other regions. Demographic transition While these countries have the highest fertility rates in the world, their rates are all on a generally downward trajectory due to a phenomenon known as the demographic transition. The third stage (of five) of this transition sees birth rates drop in response to decreased infant and child mortality, as families no longer feel the need to compensate for lost children. Eventually, fertility rates fall below replacement level (approximately 2.1 children per woman), which eventually leads to natural population decline once life expectancy plateaus. In some of the most developed countries today, low fertility rates are creating severe econoic and societal challenges as workforces are shrinking while aging populations are placin a greater burden on both public and personal resources.

Demographic characteristics of adolescent population, by period of program enrollment.