Introduction

• In 1960, the population of Niger was 3.3 million

  • By 2021, the population had reached nearly 25 million

• Niger has a population growth rate of 3.8%

  • This is the combination of a high birth rate and a rapidly decreasing death rate

    
    

High Birth Rate

• The reasons for the high birth and fertility rates in Niger include:

  • The average age of marriage is 15.7 years, meaning that women have more childbearing years

  • Low levels of education for women only 4 out of 10 girls finish primary school

  • High value is placed on large families

  • Only 12% of women use modern contraception

• The death rate in Niger is decreasing, falling from 29 per 1000 (1960) to 8 per 1000 (2020)

• The decreasing death rate has been the result of:

  • Increased urbanisation, which improves access to services such as healthcare and food

  • Better food and clean water supply

  • Improved access to healthcare

  • Government policies to improve farming practices, which have increased food supplies

  • Free healthcare to pregnant women improving mother and baby survival rates

    
    

Impacts

• The impacts include:

  • A highly dependent population of young people below the age of 15

  • Increased pressure on schools and health services

  • A younger population should increase economic growth but job and wealth distribution is uneven

  • Increased rural-urban migration to seek work

    • Development of illegal settlements on the edges of cities

  • Food shortages: an estimated 2.5 million people are suffering from food insecurity

    
    

Reducing population growth

• In 2014, Niger adopted a framework to promote fertility reduction by:

  • abolishing child marriage (marriage under the age of 18)

  • improving access to education

  • improved access to health services, contraception and family planning advice

  • girls and women no longer need permission from parents/husbands to access contraception

  • married and/or pregnant girls can still go to school to ensure they continue to receive an education