Uganda has youngest population

Monday, 20th September, 2010 E-mail article Print article


By Raymond Baguma

UGANDA has the youngest population in the whole world after Niger, according to the latest Population Reference Bureau’s (PRB) 2010 World Population Data Sheet released in July.
The data sheet ranks Niger the worst, with 50.1% of its population below 15 years, while Uganda follows closely with 48.7%. In third place is Burkina Faso, followed by DR Congo, Zambia and Malawi.

Afghanistan, Chad, Somalia and Tanzania are in the top ten countries with the youngest populations in the world.

On the other hand, Japan has the oldest population, with 22.6% of Japanese aged above 65 years. Germany is in second place, followed by Italy, Sweden, Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria, Austria, Latvia and Belgium in tenth position.
Other indicators that are exammined include the birth and death rate, migration rates, population projections, child deaths, fertility rate, life expectancy, prevalence of HIV/AIDS, urban populations, contraceptive use, maternal mortality rate, presence of sanitation facilities and mobile phone subscriptions.

The report establishes a relationship between the respective countries’ population structures, to fertility rates in the named countries. For instance, Niger, which has the youngest population, also has the highest fertility rate in the world at 7.4 children per woman. Uganda in second position also has the second highest fertility rate in the world at 6.5.

“There are two major trends in world population today,” said the PRB president, Bill Butz. “On the one hand, chronically low birth rates in developed countries are beginning to challenge the health and financial security of their elderly.

On the other, the developing countries are adding over 80 million to the population every year and the poorest of those countries are adding 20 million, exacerbating poverty and threatening the environment.”
While the countries with the highest fertility rates are not the most populous in the world, the datasheet points out that countries whose nationals are mainly below 14 years of age, have a high dependency which burdens governments, communities and families.

The datasheet notes that the total population of sub-Saharan Africa stands at 865 people, with young people making up more than 42% of the total population. Sub-Saharan Africa consists of all countries of Africa except the northern African countries of Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Western Sahara.
It also shows that this year, the global population has risen to 6.9 billion from 6.1 billion 10 years ago, with high population growth rates recorded in developing countries.
The developed countries, which have a total population of 1.2 billion people, are recording ageing populations as the working age populations dwindle. On the other hand, Africa’s population is expected to stand at about 2.1 billion by 2050.

However, this projection depends on the decline of the continental fertility rate in Africa from 5.2 to about 2.5 by 2050 with rising use of family planning methods.
Countries with high youth dependency are advised to provide high-quality and accessible education and health services to young people.
“Without these investments, children are less likely to grow into healthy and productive adults. But the significant financial costs of meeting children’s health and educational needs are prohibitive for many developing countries,” the report notes.

Population growth:
In population projections, the datasheet shows that Uganda’s population currently stands at 33.8 million people. With the present population growth rate of about 3.4, by mid-2050 the country’s population will stand at 91.3 million people.

Projections for neighbouring countries show that Kenya’s population will rise from the estimated 40 million to about 65.2 million people by 2050; and Rwanda’s population will stand at 28.3 million. Also, Burundi’s population will rise from the current 8.5 million to 16.8 million and Tanzania will be at 109.5 million people.

Mobile phone subscription:

The datasheet also shows that Uganda comes third in the East African region after Kenya and Tanzania with the highest number of mobile phone subscribers per 100 inhabitants.

In Uganda, for every 100 inhabitants, 27 have a mobile phone, while for every 100 Tanzanians, 31 people have a mobile phone. Also, for every 100 Kenyans, 42 have a mobile phone.
In Burundi, for every 100 Burundians, only 6 have a mobile phone, while for every 100 Rwandans, 14 have a mobile phone.

The East African Community member states score high in mobile phone subscription compared to Ethiopia, where out of every 100 Ethiopians, only two have mobile phones.
But in the United Arab Emirates, for every 100 nationals, 209 have a mobile phone.

Sanitation:

About 69% of people in sub-Saharan Africa do not use improved sanitation facilities such as latrines and flush toilets.

The situation varies depending on location, with rural areas worst off. However, the use of improved sanitation is particularly low in some urban environments as well.
In sub-Saharan Africa, only 44% of urban residents use improved sanitation. In Uganda, the report cites, only 38% of the urban population uses improved sanitation facilities.