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clusters are emerging in eastern and western
tropical Africa, the eastern United States
and southeast Canada, though their popu-
lation sizes are not at the same level as the
“big four.” Western Africa is poised to become
a major contender for the fifth largest popu-
lation cluster in the world because of rapid
population growth in Africa’s most populous
country, Nigeria. By 2050, Nigeria’s popula-
tion is expected to more than double, from 196
million in 2018 to an estimated 411 million
(Figure 7.4).

The Top 10 Most Populous
Countries

It is often interesting to look at population
distribution by country and see how coun-
Figure 7.4 The central business district in Lagos, Nigeria. Nigeria is try rankings change over time. Table 7.1 lists
experiencing a crippling population boom. The United Nations predicts the 10 most populated countries in the world,
that by 2050, Nigeria will become the third most populous country in the ranked in descending order of their 2018 pop-
world, after India and China. Its urban population has been growing at an ulation, along with their predicted population
annual rate of 6.5 percent over the last half a century, making cities like
Lagos increasingly crowded. Nyancho NwaNri/Reuters in 2050. China’s population accounts for over
18 percent of humanity, and India just under
18 percent. These two Asian giants together

whole. In other words, more than half of the people in are home to more than one-third of the world’s
Southeast Asia (52 percent) still live in rural areas. population, and their combined share has not changed
much over the past 30 years. Even though China’s
Emerging Clusters Global population distribution is an share has declined slowly due to its strict population
ever-changing phenomenon. In addition to the four ma- control policies, that decrease is offset by India’s rela-
jor densely populated areas described above, population tively rapid population growth. Another feature worth

Table 7.1 The World’s 10 Most Populous Countries, 2018 and 2050 (Estimated)

Most Populated Population in Most Populated Countries Population in mid-2050
Countries in 2018 mid-2018 (Millions) in 2050 (Estimated) (Estimated in Millions)
1. China 1394 1. India 1680
2. India 1371 2. China 1344
3. United States 328 3. Nigeria 411
4. Indonesia 265 4. United States 390
5. Brazil 209 5. Indonesia 320
6. Pakistan 201 6. Pakistan 306
7. Nigeria 196 7. Brazil 231
8. Bangladesh 166 8. Democratic Republic of Congo 216
9. Russia 147 9. Bangladesh 202
10. Mexico 131 10. Ethiopia 191

Source: Population Reference Bureau (2018).

Module 7 Population Distribution and Its Consequences 9
©2021 BFW Publishers. Sample material is NOT FINAL and corrections will be made prior to publication.

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