Demographic projections by the Population Reference Bureau for the first half of the 21st century show that the Democratic Republic of the Congo leads countries in "middle" Africa that are expected to experience the fastest population growth in the region. The bureau's "World Population Data Sheet" for 2003 showed that the Congo, with an estimated population of 56.6 million, would have 181 million people by 2050. Overall, the central Africa region's population will grow to 193 percent of its current size by 2050, followed by western Africa, which is expected to grow to 142 percent of its 2003 population. The population of southern Africa, a region that has been adversely affected by HIV/AIDS, was projected to fall by 22 percent.