Nigeria, Congo to House 40% of World’s Poorest People by 2050 -Report

• Nigeria, Congo to House 40% of World’s Poorest People by 2050 -Report

Over 40 percent of the world’s poorest people will live in Nigeria and DR Congo by 2050, a report published by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has shown.

In the report released on Tuesday, the foundation projected that Nigeria’s population will increase from 198 million to 429 million by 2050, while the number of people living in extreme poverty would have risen to 152 million in Nigeria against 87 million estimated by Brookings Institution in June 2018.

The report further stated that while more than a billion people have lifted themselves out of extreme poverty since 2000, people living in extreme poverty is becoming heavily concentrated in Sub-Sahara Africa.

“By 2050, more than 40 percent of the extremely poor people in the world will live in just two countries: Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria,” the report reads.

The foundation blamed the situation on lack of investment in human capital when compared to population growth.

“Investing in young people’s health and education is the best way for a country to unlock productivity and innovation; cut poverty, create opportunities and generate prosperity,” the report added.

Nigeria is the seventh most populous country in the world with more than 198 million people.