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COMCEC Agriculture Outlook 2016

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All of the sub-regions’ average yearly agricultural growths stay behind their economic

growths in the period of 2004-2014. The promising point is that African Group, Arab Group

and Asian Group Countries have a greater performance in agricultural growth during the

period of 1994-2014 compared to the world.

1.3.

Population

Population in the world reached to 7.4 billion people and it is projected to climb to over

9 billion by 2050. United Nations Population Funds (UNFPA) explains this dramatic growth by

increasing numbers of people surviving to reproductive age which is accompanied by major

changes in fertility rates, increasing urbanization and accelerating migration.

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According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s data, the total population of the

OIC was about 1.73 billion in 2015, which constituted almost the quarter of world population.

Although its share in total population decreased from year to year, more than half of the OIC

population is still living in rural areas. According to the statistics, more than 60 percent of the

people living in rural areas were engaged in agricultural activities.

Agriculture sector should provide enough food for the growing population in the world

and especially in the OIC. In the last decade, the agricultural GDP expanded globally by an

average of 2.56 percent a year, more than the population growth of 1.24 percent. In the same

period, OIC Member Countries have experienced yearly 3.42 percent growth in agricultural

GDP, and 1.98 percent of growth in population. Therefore, both in the OIC and world, the

growth rate in agriculture sector is higher than the growth rate in population which enables to

feed much more people.

Table 4. Population Growth Rate in the OIC and in the World

Period

African Group

Arab Group

Asian Group

OIC

World

1995-2005

2.71

2.20

1.70

2.03

1.28

2005-2015

2.82

1.98

1.51

1.93

1.20

1995-2015

2.77

2.09

1.61

1.98

1.24

Source: Calculated by using UNSTAT

Table 4 demonstrates the sub-regions average yearly population growth in ten years

period and in twenty years long term period in the OIC and world. Compared to the world,

African Group, Arab Group and Asian Group have a higher rate of population growth in the last

two decades. Across the regions, African Group average yearly population growth is the

highest in the period of 1995-2005 and 2005-2015, with a 2.71 percent and 2.82 percent,

respectively. Furthermore, African Group is the only group whose average yearly population

growth rises in the last decade which is more than two times higher than the world’s

population growth. The lowest population growth was observed in Asian Group with 1.70

percent in 1995-2005, and 1.51 percent in 2005-2015.

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UNFPA, 2015