Of pigs, pythons and population growth – setting the record straight.
I am constantly startled by references to “population growth” as a cause of a number of development challenges.
I can almost see Thomas Malthus grinning at me from the shadows.
It gets worse.
The highest fertility is in sub-Saharan Africa, with Southern Africa having fairly low levels by comparison.
Family planning, child survival, and female education will have huge impacts on the highest fertility countries, but the trajectory of most other countries is a declining one already.
Of the top ten highest fertility countries, nine are in Africa, and eight of those are listed as being fragile.
So, fertility is highly correlated with crisis, uncertainty, and poor access to services.
Yes, of course numbers matter: Food and water scarcity, pressures on urban transport or on roads are correlated with how many people there are.
But why do infrastructure based services affect some people more than others?