As global fertility rates plunge to new lows, the African continent has emerged as one of the most fertile regions globally. But it may spell doom for the region’s impending growth.

These findings come from ‘The New Economics of Fertility’ study which concluded that while fertility rates are decreasing in other regions, they are rising in Africa. The continent is a shelter to 31 of the top 32 nations which have the highest fertility rates. In addition, Niger made the top position with a rate of 6.9 children per woman.

According to a recent report, the average number of children born to each woman was 2.3 globally in 2020 as compared to 4.7 in 1970. This represents a staggering 51 percent decrease in 50 years. Fewer than two births per woman on average have been recorded in Europe and North America.

Africa has the highest fertility rate in the world. The top 10 nations in terms of fertility rates, all of which have rates of over 6.0, are Somalia (6.4), Chad (6.4), The Democratic Republic of the Congo (6.2), Mali (6.0), The Central African Republic (6.0), Anglo (5.4), Nigeria (5.3), Burundi (5.2), and Benin (5.1).

On the contrary, 2020, Nigeria's overall fertility rate in 2020 stayed almost unchanged at 5.31 children per woman. However, in 2020 the fertility rate was at its lowest of the observation period.

High Fertility Boon or Bane? The Nigerian Example

Research on the topic "Fertility and Population Explosion in Nigeria: Does Income Actually Count?" stated that a nation may face disaster if there is a lack of adequate policies and programs to handle the socioeconomic and political problems in an increasing population country.

The researchers of the above topic came to the following conclusion, Apart from Nigeria being the third most populated nation in the world, the increasing unemployment rate has caused various socio-economic and political crises in the nation with the teeming population in Nigeria being underutilized. This nation is estimated to have a population of over 401.3 million by the year 2050.

This contradiction of the unemployment rate and increase in population raises multiple questions about Nigeria's future which includes whether it will make good of the population or it will be bewildered by the impending population explosion.

The research has also mentioned that population expansion will affect the country's GDP growth in a favorable and significant way, but some studies have also mentioned its negative impact of it. This also shows that income has no substantial influence on the rising population growth and birth rate.

Factors Behind the Phenomenon

The major factors which may cause the increasing birth rates to include the desire for natural procreation and the belief that children are an investment. Many countries that have the highest fertility rates are typically poorer countries with no development or running in underdevelopment phases with not having proper sexual education and also limited access to contraception.

According to a study, the "new fertility facts" are challenging the old theories on the traditional views about the relationship between having children, years of education, and income level. It mentioned the negative relationship between income and its rate that still holds sway in low-income nations like Nigeria and other African countries.

Nigeria has 375 million people and become the world's fourth most populated nation in the coming 28 years, said to the Population Division of the UN Department of Economics and Social Affairs. This increase in population also includes a warning that the rate of unemployment, food crisis, and crime rates will worsen. Due to overpopulation, experts are concerned about the disastrous effects which need to be addressed in time.

Why is Fertility Low in the Rest of the World?

The New Economics of Fertility is a study that mentions the concerns about the increasing ultralow fertility in high-income nations like Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain where the fertility rate has been about 1.5 over the past 20 years. It is a matter of concern as the rate is less than the average of "just over two children per woman needed to maintain a stable population size."

South Korea holds the record for the world's lowest fertility rate in the world whereas the fertility rate in 2020 was 1.6 in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

A study also reveals that parents in today's time are more into quality education for their children which is more or less expensive. This is also a reason that parents opt to have fewer children because the investment is expensive. Due to this, there has been a strong negative relationship between Fertility and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita across the nations and over time.

Other reasons for the decline in the fertility rate are:

Poor diet and sedentary lifestyles

Females are prioritizing their careers first.

Couples are taking a long time to settle down and get married.

106 nations have fertility rates below the benchmark of 2.1 which is not enough to sustain the existing population. Lower rates have been also found in nations like South Korea, Hong Kong, and Puerto Rico with 1.0, Macau with 1.0, Singapore with 1.1, Malta with 1.1, Ukraine with 1.2, Spain with 1.2, Italy with 1.2, and China with 1.3.