Signal Sub-Saharan Africa's working-age population to reach 1.6 billion by 2050

Summary

The working-age population of Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to grow from 883 million to 1.6 billion by 2050. EY presents this as a core part of the supply side of global talent, noting that South Asia also adds 18 to 20 million people to its working-age cohort every year. Displacement further enlarges that pool of potential workers. At the same time, demand is intense, as labour shortages become systemic in healthcare, manufacturing, construction and technology. The difficulty EY highlights is not a lack of people but that the systems linking this supply to demand are fracturing under strain.