Nigeria has a very high fertility rate of roughly 5 children per woman. In contrast, European countries have very low fertility rates, often between 1.2 and 1.7 children per woman. The key reason is age structure. Nigeria has a very young population, with a median age of about 18, while Europe’s median age is over 40. Even though Europe’s total population is more than 3 times larger, its aging demographic and low fertility result in far fewer births each year. #archaeohistories