Projection for 2050: 68% of the world population will live in urban areas.
Current Statistics (2018): 55% of the world's population lives in urban areas.
Population Growth: Urban areas expected to gain 2.5 billion more people by 2050.
Regions of Growth: 90% of urban growth will occur in Asia and Africa.
Urban Population Concentration
Primary Contributors: India, China, and Nigeria will contribute to 35% of the urban population growth.
India: Add 416 million urban dwellers
China: Add 255 million urban dwellers
Nigeria: Add 189 million urban dwellers
Current Urbanization Levels
**Largest Urban Populations: **
Asia: 54% of global urban population
Europe and Africa: 13% each
Most Urbanized Regions:
Northern America: 82%
Latin America and the Caribbean: 81%
Europe: 74%
Oceania: 68%
Asia: Nearing 50%
Africa: 43%
Decline in Some Urban and Rural Areas
Urban Decline: Certain cities in Asia and Europe, like Nagasaki (Japan) and Busan (South Korea), have seen declines due to low fertility, economic contraction, and emigration.
Future Projections: Fewer cities are expected to decline by 2030 compared to the past two decades.
Rural Population Trends:
Current rural population: 3.4 billion
Expected to peak soon and decline to 3.1 billion by 2050.
Major Rural Populations: Africa and Asia house 90% of the rural population.
Mega Cities and Urban Rankings
Largest Cities:
Tokyo: 37 million
New Delhi: 29 million, expected to become world's most populous city by 2028
Shanghai, Mexico City, São Paulo, Cairo, Mumbai, Beijing, and Dhaka all have significant populations.
Growth in Megacities: By 2030, there will be 43 megacities, most in developing regions.
Smaller Urban Settlements: Nearly half of urban dwellers live in cities with fewer than 500,000 inhabitants.
Sustainable Urbanization and Development
Importance: Understanding urban trends is vital for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Challenges: Urban management, housing, infrastructure, employment, education, and healthcare in rapidly urbanizing regions.
Policy Needs: Integrated urban-rural policies to ensure inclusive benefits of urbanization.
About the Data
Source: 2018 Revision of World Urbanization Prospects by UN DESA.
Purpose: Regular updates on urban and rural population projections for all countries and major agglomerations since 1988.