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Module 7 Population Distribution and Its%u00a0Consequences 105words, close to half of the people in Southeast Asia (49 percent) still live in rural areas.Emerging ClustersGlobal population distribution is an everchanging phenomenon. In addition to the four major densely populated areas described above, there are smaller population clusters such as the eastern United States and southeast Canada, and eastern and western tropical Africa. Western Africa is poised to become a major contender for the fifth largest population cluster in the world because of rapid population growth in Africa%u2019s most populous country, Nigeria. By 2050, Nigeria%u2019s population is expected to grow from 208 million in 2020 to an estimated 375 million (Figure 7.4).The Top 10 Most Populous CountriesIt is often interesting to look at population distribution by country and see how country rankings change over time. Table 7.1 lists the 10 most populated countries in the world, ranked in descending order of their 2022 population, along with their predicted population in 2050. China%u2019s population accounts for over 18 percent of humanity and India just under 18 percent. These two Asian giants together are home to more than one-third of the world%u2019s population, and their combined share has not changed much over the past 30 years. Even though China%u2019s share has countries: Indonesia and the Philippines. Indonesia has the world%u2019s fourth largest population and the world%u2019s largest Muslim population. Several countries in this region, such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, have made impressive strides toward industrialization, and just over half (51 percent in 2022) of the region%u2019s population is urban. This urbanization level is lower than the 52 percent for Asia as a whole or the 55 percent for the world. In other Figure 7.4 The central business district in Lagos, Nigeria. Nigeria is experiencing a crippling population boom. The United Nations predicts that by 2050, Nigeria will become the third most populous country in the world, after India and China. Its urban population has been growing at an annual rate of 5 percent over the last half a century, making cities like Lagos increasingly crowded. Nyancho NwaNri/ReutersTable 7.1 The World%u2019s 10 Most Populous Countries, 2022 and 2050 (Estimated)Most Populated Countries in 2022Population in 2022 (Millions)Most Populated Countries in 2050 (Estimated)Population in 2050 (Estimated, in Millions)1. China 1426 1. India 16682. India 1412 2. China 13173. United States 337 3. United States 3754. Indonesia 275 4. Nigeria 3755. Pakistan 234 5. Pakistan 3666. Nigeria 216 6. Indonesia 3177. Brazil 215 7. Brazil 2318. Bangladesh 170 8. Democratic Republic of the Congo 2159. Russia 145 9. Ethiopia 21310. Mexico 127 10. Bangladesh 204Information from United Nations, 2022.%u00a9 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Do not distribute.