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Africa to experience an explosion of senior citizens by 2050 thanks to good weather and food
Life expectancy in Kenya is projected to increase from 54 years today to 68 years by 2050.
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According to the latest UN World Population report, the number of persons aged 60 or above in Africa is expected to rise from five per cent in 2017 to around nine per cent in 2050, and then to nearly 20 percent by the end of the century.
By 2050 more than half of the global population growth will come from sub-Saharan Africa UN estimates.
The number may be even higher since more and more Europeans and Americans after falling in love with the continent decides to retire here and enjoy their sunset years surrounded by Africa's good weather and food.
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Africa has one of most favorable weather conditions on Earth and majority of food found in the continent is unprocessed cutting risk of developing lifestyle diseases meaning the African population is able to prosper.
For the past half a century, African governments have also equipped their hospitals with medicines and provide vaccines to their general populations giving rise to a healthy generation free from diseases.
It is not going to be a roller coaster ride for many African governments, however, with the senior citizen's explosion that means more and more funds will have to be set aside to support them.
African governments will also have to scratch their heads to figure out how they can keep these senior citizens in meaningful employment activities as well as cater for the younger generations who are equally competing for the same works.
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Also read: Uganda’s President has attributed his ‘youthful looks’ to his consumption of locally produced foods.
All is not doom though, the fastest growing population groups in Kenya are 15 to 64 years, the populations that are productive and engaged in employment to support their families and the state.
According to Wolfgang Fengler, Lead Economist for the World Bank in Kenya, from only 22 million working-age people today, Kenya by 2050 will have about 56 million working-age people.
This is because as fertility declines and people live longer, Kenyans will see a dramatic improvement in the “dependency ratio” as the proportion of the working-age population will grow much faster than the young and elderly population groups that depend on them.
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