<P> In the 18th century, the Oyo and the Aro confederacy were responsible for most of the slaves exported from Nigeria, with Great Britain, France and Portugal shipping the majority of the slaves . Following the Napoleonic Wars, the British expanded trade with the Nigerian interior . In 1885, British claims to a West African sphere of influence received international recognition, and in the following year the Royal Niger Company was chartered under the leadership of Sir George Taubman Goldie . In 1900, the company's territory came under the control of the British Government, which moved to consolidate its hold over the area of modern Nigeria . On 1 January 1901, Nigeria became a British protectorate, part of the British Empire, the foremost world power at the time . </P> <P> By 1960, most of the region achieved independence from colonial rule . </P> <P> According to the 2017 revision of the World Population Prospects, the population of sub-Saharan Africa was 995,694,907 in 2016 . The current growth rate is 2.3% . The UN predicts for the region a population between 1.5 and 2 billion by 2050 with a population density of 80 per km compared to 170 for Western Europe, 140 for Asia and 30 for the Americas . </P> <P> Sub-Saharan African countries top the list of countries and territories by fertility rate with 40 of the highest 50, all with TFR greater than 4 in 2008 . All are above the world average except South Africa and Seychelles . More than 40% of the population in sub-Saharan countries is younger than 15 years old, as well as in Sudan, with the exception of South Africa . </P>

The population of africa south of the sahara