Forecasts by the University of Toronto’s Global Cities Institute, Environment & Urban Journal, The Whitaker Group, etc, have shown that at least 10 African cities would top the list of 20 largest cities in the world by the end of the century.
Various research material has revealed that the fast-paced population growth in Africa is the major influencer of this soon to be achieved attainment. The Washington Post in a special report on global city growth shared that Africa will be the only continent experiencing population growth by 2100. It added that thirteen of the world’s 20 biggest urban areas will be in Africa.
Here we highlight 7 African cities that would make the list by 2100
Lagos
Nigeria’s economic capital Lagos is undoubtedly one of the largest cities in the world, with its growing population of 15,387,639 people. By 2100, new data shares that the city’s population would reach 88.3 million by the end of the century.
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the largest city in Africa in terms of population. As of 2022, Kinshasa’s population stands at 15,628,085 people and is expected to grow to 83.5 million by the end of the century.
Khartoum
Sudan’s capital with a growth rate of over 2% in the past four years, has a current population of 5,989,024 and is expected to grow to 56.6 million at the end of the century.
NIAMEY
Niamey, the capital of Niger looks set to see one of the highest levels of growth of any city in West Africa.
With a high birth rate and an exodus of rural populations into the city due to regular droughts, Niamey’s population is expected to explode from 1,384,000 people in 2022 to over 56 million by 2100.
Lusaka
Zambia’s capital city had an official population of around 2,000 in 1931 that rose to 3,042,000 in 2022. In 2100, Lusaka’s population is estimated to reach 37,740,826.
Mogadishu
Somalia’s most populous city has a population weight of about 2,388,000. By 2100, the population in the city would be estimated at 36,371,70.
Abidjan
According to Macrotrends, Ivory Coast’s economic capital recorded a 3.01% increase from 2021 to stand at 5,516,000 in 2022. City population projections for the world’s 200 largest cities in 2100 from Hoornweg & Pope’s GCIF Working share that Abidjan’s population would rise to 19,701,522 by 2100.