Africa’s Demographic Transition : Key Messages

Canning, David ; Raja, Sangeeta ; Yazbeck, Abdo

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: SKILLS;    CHILD HEALTH;    EQUITY;    DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION;    FEMALE EDUCATION;   

RP-ID  :  103549

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Declines in child mortality, followed bydeclines in fertility, produce a youth bulge generation anda period when a country has a large number of working agepeople and a smaller number of dependents. If gainfullyemployed, a large number of workers per capita gives a boostto the economy. The different demographic profiles,including stubbornly high fertility rates in a majority ofSub-Saharan African countries, make it urgent to act withtargeted attention to country context and specific needsacross a number of sectors. To reap a large demographicdividend, Africa requires policies that accelerate thereduction in child mortality and help couples to achieve asmaller family size, empower women and girls by improvingtheir health, increasing investment in their education andskills, and providing them with greater market, social, anddecision-making power. The size and duration of a dividendwill also depend on job creation and improvements indomestic saving.