In some parts of Africa, however, there has been only a modest drop in total fertility, which today remains at more than 5 children per woman. Considerable population growth continues today because of the high numbers of births in the 1950s and 1960s, which have resulted in larger base populations with millions of young people reaching their reproductive years over succeeding generations. With only a small variation in fertility, particularly in the more populous countries, the total could be higher: 10.6 billion people could be living on Earth by 2050 and more than 15 billion in 2100, the Population Division estimates. “ Much of this increase is expected to come from the high-fertility countries, which comprise 39 in Africa, nine in Asia, sue in Oceania and four in Latin America,” the United Nations reports. The reason for demographers’ increasing focus on the region is clear, he said: “The escape from poverty and hunger is made more difficult by rapid population growth.” Africa's population has been growing 2.3 per cent per year, a rate more than double that of Asia's population (1 per cent per year).