IMPACT OF POPULATION GROWTH ON UNEMPLOYMENT IN NIGERIA (2000-2017).
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IMPACT OF POPULATION GROWTH ON UNEMPLOYMENT IN NIGERIA (2000-2017).
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background for the Study
As the twenty-first century began, the global population was predicted to be almost 6.1 billion people. The United Nations projected that the total will be more than 9.2 billion by 2050, rising to a maximum of 11 billion by 2200. Over 90% of that population will live in the developing countries (Todaro and Smith, 2006).
Two thousand years ago, population growth and production were favourably associated. More people equaled increased productivity and security. The modernization and scientific advancement of today’s world are largely due to centuries of fast population growth and economic expansion.
When communities and economies first began to grow hundreds of years ago, their success was predicated on a thriving agricultural sector. A larger population meant more workers and labourers, which boosted overall output.
With more productive labour, the economy naturally increased, and society experienced the financial benefits (Tartiyus, Dauda, and Peter, 2015).
Population booms were once considered positive indicators of long-term economic success. High reproduction rates during these times allowed for an increase of labourers while also helping to offset the similarly high death rates.
The combined consequences of “famine, disease, malnutrition, plague, and war” produced high and variable death rates. Given the dearth of modern medicine that many countries experienced until recently, death rates remained relatively high for several centuries. Thus, in order to achieve net population increase and ultimate economic development, fertility rates had to rise (Latimer and Kulkarni, 2008).
Following its independence in 1960, Nigeria conducted a successful population census in 1964, with an estimated population of 55.6 million people. Since then, it has been clear that Nigeria’s population is rapidly increasing.
In 1991, a population census was conducted, and the country’s population was estimated to be 88.5 million. The analysis provided National Development Planning with more information, allowing them to better and develop their policies and plans (Evans, 2011).
In 2007, the UNDP claimed that Nigeria’s population was growing at a 3% annual rate, with a birth rate of 40 per 1,000 and a death rate of 15 per 1,000 (Gideon, 2016).
It was also projected that an educated Nigerian woman has fewer children (three) than the ordinary Nigerian woman, who has six children. Analysis of previous censuses and reports shows that the population has grown at a rate of 250% between 1964 and the present. This complicates matching the country’s population growth rate with development (Evans, 2011).
Nigeria currently has the largest population in Africa and ranks 10th in the globe. It has been observed that the Nigerian population is related with three factors: fertility, migration, and mortality.
It was discovered that population growth occurs at a 3% rate, implying a 22-year doubling time (Gideon, 2016). This also indicates that the country is rising in a geometric trend.
The issue here is the country’s economy’s ability to grow proportionally in order to cope with and accommodate the growing population. The low newborn mortality rate of 14 per 1,000 and increased life expectancy represent a problem because they reflect a better likelihood of survival (Evans, 2011).
The unemployment rate can increase or decrease in response to population growth or reduction. Increased unemployment rates are almost always linked to population expansion, particularly in developing economies such as Nigeria.
As a result, the importance of reducing unemployment in order to mitigate its consequences on the Nigerian economy cannot be overstated. The Central Bank of Nigeria (quoted in Orumie, 2016) defines unemployment as the percentage of people in the labour force (15-65 years old) who are available for work but cannot find work, excluding students and the medically unfit.
According to Gbosi (2005), Nigeria’s rising unemployment rate is a source of significant concern not only for policymakers but also for society, because the rate at which the population grows effects economic growth and, as a result, GDP.
Nigeria’s unemployment rate is skyrocketing in the midst of a worrisome economic slump, while population growth is on the rise. If not checked, this dual tyranny can have disastrous consequences for the nation’s future prosperity.
As a result, the purpose of this study is to look into how population growth affects unemployment in Nigeria.
1.2 Statement of Problem
Rapid population growth in Nigeria is also associated with unemployment, with figures ranging from 17% per year for the entire population to 60% for youths because job opportunities are fewer than the number of people looking for them, as well as stagnant economic performance because a large proportion of available resources is consumed rather than invested in growth.
In addition, fast population increase puts constant strain on resources, notably agricultural land. For example, due to the high population density in the Eastern states, up to 53% of agricultural populations cultivate less than 0.4 hectares each year, and in the more congested portions of those states, the majority of farmers cultivate only 0.2 hectares per year.
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