
West Africa, an area composed of 16 countries, is one of the fastest growing regions in the world. The region has a population of over 350 million, a five-fold increase since 1950 when 73 million people lived there.
More than half of the population is under the age of 25. The region’s urban population rose from 8.3% of the total in 1950 to almost 44% in 2015.