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Rural-Urban Population Age and Sex Composition in Sub-Saharan Africa

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Menashe Oren, Ashira [UCL] Stecklov, Guy

Population age structures act both to support and constrain key aspects of development, ranging from demographic dividends to civil violence. Despite recognition of the crucial role played by national age and sex structures, the rural/urban perspective remains sorely neglected. This study explores how differential rural/urban natural increase, interacting with rural-to-urban migration, creates profound gaps in population age and sex structures across sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa. We calculate sector-specific dependency and sex ratios using United Nations data from 45 Sub-Saharan African countries between 1980 and 2015 to probe the extent of the rural/urban age and sex structure gaps. Results indicate that these gaps are predictable by stage of demographic transition. Rural-to-urban migration of young adults plays an important role in explaining the gaps between the sectors. Our results highlight the value of accounting for local age and sex structures to better prepare for the consequences of demographic shifts in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Document type Article de périodique (Journal article) – Article de recherche
Access type Accès libre
Publication date 2018
Language Anglais
Journal information "Population and Development Review" - Vol. 44, no.1, p. 7-35
Peer reviewed yes
Publisher Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc. (Hoboken)
issn 0098-7921
e-issn 1728-4457
Publication status Publié
Affiliation Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Keywords demographic transition ; rural-urban migration ; age structures ; sex ratios ; sub-Saharan Africa
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Bibliographic reference Menashe Oren, Ashira ; Stecklov, Guy. Rural-Urban Population Age and Sex Composition in Sub-Saharan Africa. In: Population and Development Review, Vol. 44, no.1, p. 7-35
Permanent URL http://hdl.handle.net/2078/207028