الزراعة والتنمية الريفية والغابات
National application of the degree of urbanization: tools, data, capacity and implementation status
To support the implementation of the Degree of Urbanization, a detailed technical manual was published (European Commission, Statistical Office of the European Union, 2021), accompanied by free software tools, data, and an online training course, in 2021.
Introduction
What is urbanization? At its core, urbanization refers to the increasing concentration of people in settlements that exhibit urban characteristics, such as places with higher population density, greater connectivity and more developed infrastructure, as commonly found in cities and towns.
The anatomy of “urban”: how national criteria shape urbanization statistics
Further insight is gained by examining how the alignment between national definitions and the Degree of Urbanization varies depending on the criteria used to define urban areas.
Preface
This report presents the results of the official United Nations estimates and projections of urbanization for 237 countries and areas of the world and for over 12,000 urban settlements with 50,000 inhabitants or more in 2025, as published in the World Urbanization Prospects 2025.
The world’s cities
What is a city? Most people would agree that cities are places where large numbers of people live and work.
In Focus: Trade in critical minerals shapes energy transition, digital transformation, and industrial development worldwide
The global shift toward a low-carbon economy has intensified the demand for critical minerals, placing resource-rich developing countries at the centre of a new geopolitical and economic landscape. In this context, UNCTAD plays a role from the development perspective by promoting fair, inclusive, and sustainable trade in critical minerals.
UNCTAD supports countries to progress towards SDGs
UNCTAD aligns its technical cooperation with the 2030 Agenda, continuously adapting to the new opportunities and challenges in trade and development and interrelated issues of finance, technology and investment (UNCTAD, 2021a). UNCTAD provides technical assistance, alongside analysis, capacity building and targeted support for marginalized stakeholders in developing countries to help them ensure equitable participation and ensure developing countries benefit more fairly from a globalized economy (UNCTAD, 2025a). In 2024, UNCTAD’s technical cooperation expenditure surpassed $56 million, funding delivered through 203 projects in 72 countries (UNCTAD, forthcoming) (figure 21).
The lack of financing for sustainable development is worsening in 2025
With ODA falling for the first time in five years (down 7.1 per cent in 2024), and a stagnant overall FDI to developing economies, with declines in 2024 observed in Latin America and the Caribbean (-12 per cent) and Asia (-3 per cent), as well as a drop of SDG-related investments (-26 per cent), heads of state and government gathered at FfD4 this year to discuss how to reshape the global financial architecture for sustainable development.
Foreword
As we approach the 16th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in 2025, the global outlook is concerning. Only 17 per cent of Sustainable Development Goal targets are on track for 2030, and overlapping crises – conflicts, climate shocks, trade disruptions – are compounding inequality and undermining progress. SDG Pulse 2025 provides a data-driven analysis of these challenges, with a focus on trade and development in the global South, building on the Bridgetown Covenant’s four pillars.