Boom or bust: the limits of Africa’s youth bulge

Demography has a habit of being discussed as destiny. Population projections are displayed on conference screens, charts point upward, and speeches celebrate Africa’s emergence as the world’s youngest continent. Beneath all this, however, lies a less palatable reality: Demographic advantage operates on a clock. Africa’s youth bulge is often presented as a permanent feature of the continent’s future when, in reality, it is a temporary demographic wave.