Half the World Now Lives in Cities.

• Position: Brief Article

Virtually all population growth from now until 2030 will be concentrated in the urban areas of the world. By 2007, urban population is expected to exceed the number of people living in rural areas for the first time in history. These data are part of the revised estimates and projections of urban, rural and city populations released in March 2000 by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Major findings of the study are: 2.9 billion people live in urban areas, comprising 47 per cent of world population; by 2030, 4.9 billion--or 60 per cent--are expected to live in urban areas. Most of the population increase will be absorbed by the less developed regions, whose urban population will probably rise from 1.9 billion in 2000 to 3.9 billion in 2030. The world's urban population currently grows at an average annual rate of 1.8 per...