Moving on Up

• Author: Natalie Ramírez-Djumena
• Position: Prepared by , a Senior Editor on the staff of Finance & Development. Text and charts are based on World Urbanization Prospects: The 2014 Revion, Highlights, published by the United Nations in July 2014. The report is available at esa.un.org/unpd/wup/Highlights/WUP2014-Highlights.pdf

Today, over half of the world’s population lives in cities. By 2050, this proportion is estimated to grow to 66 percent, according to a new report from the United Nations. Just three countries—India, China, and Nigeria—are expected to account for 37 percent of the projected growth of the world’s urban population between 2014 and 2050.

The most urbanized regions today include North America...