Population and African Society

African society is quite distinct in both its relationship to the rest of the world and its history. Africa seems beset by a myriad of crises, from famines, to civil wars, to economic meltdowns. In addition to these crises, profound population and social change has occurred. These changes are having extraordinary socioeconomic, political, and cultural consequences. Africa's demographic regimes have also been profoundly affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, urbanization processes, and environmental change. This review focuses on how African population growth and urbanization are clashing with constraints unique to the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. We provide an empirical profile describing population growth and constraints to this growth and the improvement in the quality of life in Africa. We suggest that more attention needs to be placed on the structural aspects of population dynamics. Although this review makes some reference to North Africa, the focus is sub-Saharan Africa.