"The trajectory of population change in this last group of countries and areas will have a major influence on the size and timing of the global population peak", reads the report released this Thursday by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs organization, entitled "World Population Perspectives for 2024".
The other countries highlighted by the UN are Iran, Niger, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Turkey, Vietnam and Somalia and the number of people living in these nine countries is expected to increase by 38 percent by 2054. In some cases, the report highlights that populations could double, meaning that more than a fifth of the projected increase in world population between 2024 and 2054 is expected to be concentrated in this group of countries, which includes Brazil and Angola.
In the case of Brazil, the report also highlights that, being the seventh most populous country in the world in 2024, it is expected to reach a peak in the early 2040s, with around 220 million people.
After that, Brazil's population is predicted to begin to decline, dropping to 163 million by 2100, at which point the Brazilian population is estimated to be 26 percent smaller than at its peak and 23 percent smaller than in 2024 (with a 92 percent probability that the size of Brazil's population will have decreased by 2100).
"Due to this decline and the rapid population growth of other countries, it is likely that Brazil will see its position in the 'ranking' of the most populous countries in the world fall by 2100", predicts the UN.
The report does not detail the case of Angola nor does it contain references to other Portuguese-speaking countries, with the exception of Portugal.
The document considers that, in societies with low fertility and high aging rates, immigration will be, by 2100, "the main driver of change" and demographic dynamization.
"International migration is among the main demographic trends that are shaping our world. By managing challenges and seizing opportunities, we can accelerate efforts to achieve inclusive and sustainable development", highlights the UN in the document.
