Luanda, July 11, 2024 (Lusa) - Angola's government on Thursday estimated a reduction in the country's fertility rate from the current 5.4 children to 3.2 per woman by 2050, while forecasting a population increase of double the current 35 million in this period.
"By 2050, our population is expected to increase from the current 35 million to nearly 70 million, assuming a reduction in the fertility rate - one of the highest in the world - from around 5.4 children per woman to 3.2," said Angola's secretary of state for planning, Luís Epalanga.
According to the government official, the reduction in the country's fertility rate should guarantee a sustainable future for Angola, because the measure should allow the population to grow at a rate that allows for better living conditions for all Angolans.
"This is crucial to maximising our demographic dividend as a real source of wealth and development. A special focus on education and a strong improvement in access to contraception will be fundamental," he said.
Luís Epalanga, who was speaking at the celebration of World Population Day, which is being marked today, also pointed out that the National Development Plan (PDN) 2023-2027 defined as one of the main priorities the "adaptation of demographic dynamics to the country's economic potential".
Angolan economists estimate that annual population growth in the country varies between 3% and 3.5%, a situation that "puts significant pressure on the supply of products in the economy".
In order to adapt demographic dynamics to economic potential, the Angolan Ministry of Planning and the United Nations Population Fund have defined a joint action plan.
In his speech, the Secretary of State for Planning said that this plan would enable the National Plan for Harnessing the Demographic Dividend in Angola to be drawn up, based on the results of the 2024 General Population and Housing Census, which has been rescheduled for 19 September.
He also signalled that projects in the areas of gender equality, vulnerable populations and environmental sustainability will also be prioritised within the framework of the 2023-2027 NDP.
"With this instrument (National Plan for Harnessing the Demographic Dividend), we are convinced that the country will have to strengthen the policy measures needed to face the challenges arising from a growing and mostly young population," he emphasised.
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