Population is defined as the number of people living in an area at a particular time. The population of West Africa is not evenly distributed. Some areas are densely populated, some are moderately populated and others are sparsely populated.
AREAS OF DENSE POPULATION: These include Lagos, Kano, Accra, Abidjan, Freetown, Monrovia, Dakar, etc
AREAS OF MODERATE POPULATION: These include Benin, Ashanti Region, Mano River area, Ouagadougou, Niamey, Bamako, etc
AREAS OF SPARSE POPULATION: These include upper Gambia, Middle belt of Nigeria, Northern Niger, Mali and Mauritania.
 REASONS / FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE POPULATION DISTRIBUTION OF WEST AFRICA
1)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Historical factors: Some densely populated areas like Kano have been centers
of Trans-Sahara trade. This contributed to it’s high population
2)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Agriculture
3)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Mining
4)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Industrialization i.e. the presence of industries.
REASON FOR HIGH POPULATION DENSITIES
1)       Favourable climate                                              2)       Fertile soil
3)       Natural attachment / Historical factors     4)       Administrative Headquarters
5)       Employment Opportunities                              6)       Presence of minerals
7)       Presence of industries                                        8)       Presence of basic social amenities
9)       Commercial activities                     10)     Migration
 ADVANTAGES OF HIGH POPULATION DENSITY
1)       Large labour                                                           2)       Large market
3)       Government attraction                                       4)       Togetherness
5)       Quick dissemination of information                6)       Defense
DISADVANTAGES OF HIGH POPULATION DENSITY
1)       Pressure on natural resources                2)       Pressure on basic amenities
3)       Insufficient food                            4)       Unemployment / Under-employment
5)       Traffic congesting                         6)       Environmental pollution
7)       Inadequate health services                    8)       Inadequate housing
REASONS FOR LOW POPULATION DENSITY
1)       Rugged relief                                              2)       Poor drainage
3)       Unfavourable climate                              4)       Poor soils
5)       Historical factors                    6)       Presence of some insects
7)       Inaccessibility                                             8)       Low economic activities
ADVANTAGES OF LOW POPULATION DENSITY
1)       Abundant resources                                 2)       Low crime
3)       Adequate planning                                  4)       Regular flow of traffic
5)       Low pressure on social amenities           6)       High standard of living
DISADVANTAGES OF LOW POPULATION DENSITY
1)       Wastage of output                                    2)       Deterioration of infrastructure
3)       Inadequate labour force                         4)       Low output