What's happening?

China has more people than any other country in the world. It is home to 1.4 billion people - or more than one in every eight people living on the Earth.

Now, the country's populationAll of the people that live in a place. has fallen for the first time since the 1960s.

This could be bad news for China. One day, there will be fewer young people to support the country's large elderly population.

Meanwhile, Africa's population is rising quickly. By 2050, its population will likely have doubled to 2.2 billion. The continentA continent is a large solid area of land. Earth has seven continents. In order from largest to smallest, they are Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. has many young people and its cities are growing.

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But others point out that African countries still face problems like povertyThe state of being very poor. . They say India will take over from China next.

Is Africa the next superpower?

Yes! Africa is moving into a boom period. Its population is young and growing. And so its economyThe way that money flows through a country, which affects wages and the cost of living. will grow too.

No! Parts of Africa still face problems that will slow its economic growth. But India is just about to overtake China in population.