Africa's rapid population growth puts poverty progress at risk, says Gates

Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; speaks at a panel discussion on Building Human Capital during the IMF/World Bank spring meeting in Washington, U.S., April 21, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

LONDON (Reuters) - Rapid population growth in some of Africa's poorest countries could put at risk future progress towards reducing global poverty and improving health, according to a report by the philanthropic foundation of Bill Gates.

Demographic trends show a billion people have lifted themselves out of poverty in the past 20 years, the report found. But swiftly expanding populations, particularly in parts of Africa, could halt the decline in the number of extremely poor people in the world, and it may even start to rise.