Uganda’s population to hit 103 million by 2050 - report

Uganda’s population is rapidly growing, with a new report released in Kampala yesterday envisaging that by 2050, the population would have hit a whopping 103 million people.
Dubbed “National Population Policy, 2020”, the report mainly pegs the fast growing population to the high fertility rate among women and girls, aged below 30 years, among other drivers.
“The country has an annual population growth rate of 3.0 percent. This high population growth rate has been fueled mainly by the persistently high fertility, coupled with the high but declining mortality,” the report reads in part.

The other driver, according to the report is the infant mortality rate that has declined from 122 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1,989 to 43 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2016.
“On the other hand, the country’s total fertility rate hovered around 7 children per woman for more than 30 years and only declined slightly to 6.7 children per woman in 2006 and 6.2 children per woman in 2011. It was estimated at 5.4 children per woman by 2016,”the report further stated.

It adds: “The persistently high fertility levels have produced a large population reservoir, generating a population momentum that will ensure that even if fertility were to drastically drop, the population would continue to grow to for the foreseeable future.”
At the current annual population growth rate of 3 percent, the number is projected to reach 71.4 million by 2040 and 103 million by 2050.
Uganda’s population is estimated to be at 42 million though the last population census in 2014 put the population at more than 34.6 million.

Speaking at the same function, the Netherlands Ambassador to Uganda, Dr Karin Boven, attributed the fast growing population to the unmet needs for family planning among women and girls of reproductive age.
“Unmet needs for family planning among women and girls of reproductive age, child marriages, teenage pregnancy, sexual and gender-based violence and gender inequality are the core drivers,” Dr Boven said.

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Subsequently, she warned that without tackling these drivers and mitigating effects of rapid population growth, it would not be possible to achieve set targets of the Global Sustainable Development Goals and for Uganda to harness the demographic divided.

“As we launch this policy, I encourage all of us to reflect on these important questions of what we should do differently, and even better, including the unfinished businesses in tackling the challenges of the rapid population growth.”
Dr Boven also said girls are facing risks of teenage pregnancy because of the vicious cycle of poverty. 
 “They should be supported to rebuild their lives and live in dignity,’’ he said.

The State minister for Finance (Planning), Mr Amos Lugolobi, said the government will invest in the young population which stands at 76 percent of the total national population.
“This 76 percent population is under the age of 30, so investing in them is critical for the county’s realistic benefit from demographic dividends,” he said.