The World’s Cities in 2016
In 2016, an estimated 54.5 per cent of the world’s population lived in urban settlements. By 2030, urban areas are projected to house 60 per cent of people globally and one in every three people will live in cities with at least half a million inhabitants. Understanding the key trends in urbanization likely to unfold over the coming years is crucial to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and for efforts to forge a new framework of urban development during the Habitat III conference scheduled to be held in Quito, Ecuador in October 2016. This data booklet highlights current and future trajectories of populations in cities around the globe, drawing on population estimates and projections published in World Urbanization Prospects: The 2014 Revision.
Table of Contents
The world’s cities are growing in both size and number
One in five people worldwide lives in a city with more than 1 million inhabitants
Most megacities are located in the global South
The share of the population residing in cities is projected to increase in all regions
Most of the world’s fastest growing cities are located in Asia and Africa
Fifty-five cities have experienced population decline since 2000
In 28 countries or areas, more than 40 per cent of the urban population is concentrated in a single city of more than one million inhabitants
Most cities are vulnerable to at least one type of natural disaster
A majority of city dwellers live in cities that face high risk of disaster-related mortality or economic losses
