Sanitation and Wastewater Atlas of Africa

The average growth rate in the urban population in Africa is estimated at 3.7 per cent and is projected to stabilize at 2.6 per cent during the 2025–2050 period, with nearly 56 per cent of the population expected to be living in urban areas by 2050 (UNECA 2016). Some of the fastest urbanizing countries in Africa are among the most populous, and this has significant implications for Africa’s wastewater management in the quest for sustainable development, which will in turn impact the availability of freshwater resources. According to the Global Water Partnership, as cities expand they rely on more expensive, further away water sources whose quality can be compromised by upstream activities such as agriculture. Meanwhile, groundwater sources are often polluted by poor sanitation (Jacobsen et al. 2012).

Nearly 56 per cent of Africa’s population will be living in urban areas by 2050

Rural and urban population

60%

Morocco

71%

Algeria

79%

Libya

Djibouti

77%

São Tomé e Príncipe

Congo

65%

65%

87%

Gabon

2015-2020 Rural population growth

-1 0 1 2 3 %

Countries with majority urban population 2015

South Africa

65%

Percentage of urban population

GRID-Arendal/Studio Atlantis 1 000 km

Sources: UN DESA, 2018; WHO and UNICEF, 2017; UNECA, 2016.

Figure 1.6 . 2015 Rural population growth (annual percentage)

14

SANITATION AND WASTEWATER ATLAS OF AFRICA