World Urbanization Prospects
This report was written by the United Nations in New York in 2019. This report presents the global urbanization landscape in 2018, which corresponds to the size of the total population of each country.
Globally, more people live in urban areas than in rural areas, with 55% of the world’s population living in cities in 2018 and 30% of the world’s population living in 1950, and it is projected that by 2050, 68% of the world’s population is urban. The most urban geographies include North America (82% in 2018), Latin America and the Caribbean (81%), Europe (74%) and Oceania (68%). Urbanization in Asia versus Africa is more rural, with 43% of the population living in urban areas.
In 1950, 59 percent of the population in high-income countries used to live in urban areas, and this share is expected to increase further, from 81 percent today to nearly 88 percent in 2050. However, middle-income countries have experienced relatively rapid urbanization since the 1950s. In 2018, the proportion of urban middle-income population was 41 percent in low-income countries at 32 percent, which is expected to have 59 percent and 50 percent urban population by 2050, respectively.
As the world continues to urbanize, sustainable development increasingly depends on successful urban growth management, especially in low- and middle-income countries where the fastest urbanization is expected between now and 2050. Integrated policies are needed to improve the lives of urban and rural residents, strengthen ties between urban and rural areas, and build existing economic, social, and environmental ties.
Urbanization has generally been a positive force for economic growth, poverty reduction and human development. Cities are places where entrepreneurship and technological innovation can thrive, thanks to a diverse and educated workforce and a high concentration of jobs. Urban areas also serve as hubs for development, where proximity to trade, government, and transportation provides the infrastructure needed to share knowledge and information. Urban dwellers are often younger, more literate, and more educated, more likely to have access to adequate work, adequate housing, and social services, and can enjoy enhanced opportunities for cultural and political participation as well as gender equality (Cohen, 2006).
Sustainable urbanization requires that cities have sufficient income and adequate job opportunities. Provide infrastructure for water and sanitation, energy, transportation and communications. Ensuring fair access to housing and services; Minimize the number of people living in the slums. Consider women’s needs, including equal access to services, property rights, and political participation. Youth, including education and employment policies; Older people, including policies to promote healthy aging; People with disabilities, including policies and laws related to affordable housing, public infrastructure and transportation. And consider the urban poor and other vulnerable groups, including indigenous peoples. Meeting their needs allows them to play a positive economic, social, cultural, etc. role in urbanization and is a powerful tool for sustainable urban management.
Cities are the main gateway and destination for domestic and international migrants, and migration must be integrated into the strategic planning and management of cities and urban systems. Comprehensive and fair urban and rural development should be based on up-to-date and coherent population estimates and forecasts. Policies aimed at restricting rural-to-urban migration are generally ineffective in preventing urban growth and can even lead to economic, social, and environmental damage.
