In 1950, the world population was 2.5 billion, of which only 20% were urban dwellers. By 2050, two-thirds of global growth is expected to occur in cities and the rest in cities.
Furthermore, “megacities” – metropolitan areas of 10 million or more people – will continue to expand while rural areas will continue to decline, except in sub-Saharan Africa.
“A determining force”
These are among the conclusions of the Global Urbanization Outlook 2025: Summary of Findingsreleased Tuesday by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA).
This comes as countries negotiate their climate action commitments at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, and highlights the central role of urbanization in achieving sustainable development and climate resilience.
“Urbanization is a defining force of our time. When managed inclusively and strategically, it can pave the way for transformations for climate action, economic growth and social equity.“, said Li Junhua, head of UNDESA.
“To achieve balanced territorial development, countries must adopt integrated national policies that align housing, land use planning, mobility and public services in urban and rural areas. »
Booming megacities
The report documents a The number of megacities has quadrupled since 1975from eight to 33. Nineteen of them are in Asia.
Indonesia’s capital Jakarta – home to almost 42 million people – is the world’s most populous city, followed by Dhaka, Bangladesh, with almost 40 million people, and Tokyo, Japan, with 33 million.
Cairo, the Egyptian capital, is the only city outside of Asia to make the top 10.
The list of megacities is expected to reach 37 by 2050 because the populations of Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Hajipur (India) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) are on track to exceed the 10 million mark.
Small but powerful
Across the world, more and more people are living in small and medium-sized cities, which are growing faster than megacities – particularly in Africa and Asia.
Experts analyzed some 12,000 cities. The majority, 96 percent, have fewer than a million residents, while 81 percent have fewer than 250,000.
THE the total number of cities has more than doubled since 1975and projections indicate that number could exceed 15,000 by mid-century, with most cities having populations below 250,000.
Divergent growth models
Although many cities continue to grow, the report finds that others are experiencing population decline.
“The population of some cities is decreasing even as their country’s population is increasingwhile others are growing despite the decline in the national population,” he says.
Most of the declining cities had fewer than 250,000 inhabitants in 2025. More than a third are in China and 17% in India.
However, Mexico City and Chengdu, China, are among the very large cities that have also seen population declines.
Cities and rural areas
Meanwhile, cities – defined as having a population of at least 5,000 – are the most common settlement type in more than 70 countries, a diverse group including Germany, India, Uganda and the United States.
Rural areas remain the most common settlement type in 62 countries, up from 116 in 1975, and this figure is expected to decline further to 44 by 2050.
Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region that continues to experience growth in this regard, and it is expected to account for almost all future rural population growth.
