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> The population of Nigeria alone is expected to be more than the entire population of Europe by 2085. Do you think that's realistic? The population of Niger

> The population of Nigeria alone is expected to be more than the entire population of Europe by 2085. Do you think that's realistic? The population of Niger is expected to be 200 million in 2100 (20 million today)[1]. Have you seen Niger? Its a desert with little natural resources. 1. https://www.populationpyramid.net/niger/2100/ https://www.populationpyramid.net/niger/2100/ edit: I'm aware Niger and Nigeria are different countries. I'm changing the subject to Niger intentionally. 10x population growth in the Sahara desert.

antisthenes 9y ago
Maybe that's because it's 2 different countries and the parent comment said nothing about Niger?
- rukittenme 9y ago
  You're confused because the names are similar. I'm shifting the topic to Niger intentionally. I don't see how a country could experience 10x population growth in a desert.
  - antisthenes 9y ago
    That's not how conversations work. It's a complete non-sequitur. Obviously population growth will be higher in areas with bigger resource abundances.
    - rukittenme 9y ago
      The conversation you are reading is obviously different from the one I'm writing. Talking about the growth rate of a country is not a non-sequitur when the conversation centers on growth rates in general. Comparing or discussing the growth rate of a neighboring country not mentioned by the original poster is not a non-sequitur. To be clear, the OP suggested that Nigeria's population growing to 752 million people was a realistic expectation. I view it as absurd. To illustrate the absurdity, I showed the population growth of a neighboring country (in the same data set) that displays a truly absurd amount of population growth. I'm calling into question their source but even so I'm not doing so aggressively or in a debating-context. I was just asking a question hoping to gain more insight into the OP's opinions.
      - themgt 9y ago
        Niger's populations has doubled from 11 to 22 million over just the last 10 years. The population today is about 10x the 2.5 million it was in 1950, and the growth rate is higher now that it was decades ago - near an all-time high it only first reached in 2010. That's some progress! [1] The median age in Niger is 15 years old, Niger has the highest fertility rate on earth at 7 children/piece, but despite that "women and men alike in Niger say they want more children than they actually have – women want an average of nine, while men say they want 11." [2] Obviously there are going to be massive strains in trying to deal with a skyrocketing population like this, but that's exactly my point. I'm not putting a lot of weight into you flatly stating that it's "absurd" compared to the actual facts & trends and the UN's projection. And frankly the scenarios wherein these projections don't come to pass ... most likely would look pretty Malthusian. [1] http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/niger-population/ http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/niger-populati... [2] https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/mar/15/why-have-four-children-when-you-could-have-seven-contraception-niger https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals...
        somecontext 9y ago
        In case anyone else was curious about the statistics quoted in this post, they do not match the references cited by the post itself (nor other sources). For example: > Niger's populations has doubled from 11 to 22 million over just the last 10 years. Niger's population has doubled from 11 to 22 million over just the last 18 or 19 years.
        themgt 9y ago
        Ehh, apologies, that one reference was wrong. I don't think the others or conclusion is?
    - albedoa 9y ago
      The word "alone" in "The population of Nigeria alone" implies that the conversation involves other countries. Are you sure you're not confused because the names are similar?
ccozan 9y ago
That would be Nigeria, not Niger. Two different countries.
- rukittenme 9y ago
  I'm aware. I'm changing the subject to a different country.
jcranmer 9y ago
The bulk of Niger's population is in the Sahel, not the Sahara.

antisthenes 9y ago

Maybe that's because it's 2 different countries and the parent comment said nothing about Niger?

rukittenme 9y ago
You're confused because the names are similar. I'm shifting the topic to Niger intentionally. I don't see how a country could experience 10x population growth in a desert.
- antisthenes 9y ago
  That's not how conversations work. It's a complete non-sequitur. Obviously population growth will be higher in areas with bigger resource abundances.
  - rukittenme 9y ago
    The conversation you are reading is obviously different from the one I'm writing. Talking about the growth rate of a country is not a non-sequitur when the conversation centers on growth rates in general. Comparing or discussing the growth rate of a neighboring country not mentioned by the original poster is not a non-sequitur. To be clear, the OP suggested that Nigeria's population growing to 752 million people was a realistic expectation. I view it as absurd. To illustrate the absurdity, I showed the population growth of a neighboring country (in the same data set) that displays a truly absurd amount of population growth. I'm calling into question their source but even so I'm not doing so aggressively or in a debating-context. I was just asking a question hoping to gain more insight into the OP's opinions.
    - themgt 9y ago
      Niger's populations has doubled from 11 to 22 million over just the last 10 years. The population today is about 10x the 2.5 million it was in 1950, and the growth rate is higher now that it was decades ago - near an all-time high it only first reached in 2010. That's some progress! [1] The median age in Niger is 15 years old, Niger has the highest fertility rate on earth at 7 children/piece, but despite that "women and men alike in Niger say they want more children than they actually have – women want an average of nine, while men say they want 11." [2] Obviously there are going to be massive strains in trying to deal with a skyrocketing population like this, but that's exactly my point. I'm not putting a lot of weight into you flatly stating that it's "absurd" compared to the actual facts & trends and the UN's projection. And frankly the scenarios wherein these projections don't come to pass ... most likely would look pretty Malthusian. [1] http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/niger-population/ http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/niger-populati... [2] https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/mar/15/why-have-four-children-when-you-could-have-seven-contraception-niger https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals...
      - somecontext 9y ago
        In case anyone else was curious about the statistics quoted in this post, they do not match the references cited by the post itself (nor other sources). For example: > Niger's populations has doubled from 11 to 22 million over just the last 10 years. Niger's population has doubled from 11 to 22 million over just the last 18 or 19 years.
        themgt 9y ago
        Ehh, apologies, that one reference was wrong. I don't think the others or conclusion is?
  - albedoa 9y ago
    The word "alone" in "The population of Nigeria alone" implies that the conversation involves other countries. Are you sure you're not confused because the names are similar?

ccozan 9y ago

That would be Nigeria, not Niger. Two different countries.

rukittenme 9y ago
I'm aware. I'm changing the subject to a different country.

jcranmer 9y ago

The bulk of Niger's population is in the Sahel, not the Sahara.