Canning, DavidRaja, SangeetaYazbeck, Abdo2016-03-022016-03-022015-10https://hdl.handle.net/10986/23801Declines in child mortality, followed by declines in fertility, produce a youth bulge generation and a period when a country has a large number of working age people and a smaller number of dependents. If gainfully employed, a large number of workers per capita gives a boost to the economy. The different demographic profiles, including stubbornly high fertility rates in a majority of Sub-Saharan African countries, make it urgent to act with targeted attention to country context and specific needs across a number of sectors. To reap a large demographic dividend, Africa requires policies that accelerate the reduction in child mortality and help couples to achieve a smaller family size, empower women and girls by improving their health, increasing investment in their education and skills, and providing them with greater market, social, and decision-making power. The size and duration of a dividend will also depend on job creation and improvements in domestic saving.en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOSKILLSCHILD HEALTHEQUITYDEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITIONFEMALE EDUCATIONSOCIAL NORMSDEMOGRAPHIC PROFILESHUMAN CAPITALPOPULATION STRUCTURESOLDER PEOPLEWORKFORCEECONOMIC GROWTHPEOPLEPOLICIESBARRIERSMORTALITY LEVELSDISPOSABLE INCOMEWOMANPARTICIPATIONFAMILYINCOMEAGECHILD MARRIAGEGENDERFOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTDEMOGRAPHIC CHANGEINFORMATIONLABOR FORCEDIVIDENDFEWER CHILDRENGENDER EQUITYAGRICULTUREYOUTHHEALTHJOB CREATIONNUTRITIONDECLINES IN MORTALITYSAVINGPOLICYOUTPUTCHILD MORTALITYLIFE EXPECTANCYGOVERNANCENUMBER OF WORKERSCHILDREN PER WOMANECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTKNOWLEDGETRADEDECLINES IN FERTILITYLABOR MARKETPARTICIPATION OF WOMENCHILDRENSAVINGSLEGAL SYSTEMEDUCATIONINVESTMENTPOPULATION KNOWLEDGEPOPULATION STRUCTURESHARETOTAL FERTILITY RATERURAL AREASBUSINESS ENVIRONMENTFERTILITY RATESECONOMIC OPPORTUNITYFAMILY SIZEPOPULATION PYRAMIDPOPULATIONFERTILITY RATEGIRLSINVESTMENTSINTERVENTIONSFERTILITYMARRIAGEDEMOGRAPHICWOMENFERTILITY DECLINEINVESTMENTS IN EDUCATIONMORTALITYEDUCATED WOMENBriefWorld Bank10.1596/23801