sowm_2015__int__africa_full_report_low_res

The World is Becoming Increasingly Urban
Urbanization trends 1950-2050, with urban population by region
70%
RURAL
30%
URBAN
53%
RURAL
47%
URBAN
34%
RURAL
66%
URBAN
1950
Total urban population:
746 Million
2000
Total urban population:
2.9 Billion
2050
Total urban population:
6.3 Billion
Over half of the world’s population (54 percent) now lives
in urban areas. This is projected to increase to 66 percent
by 2050. Most of this increase (nearly 90 percent) will be in
Africa and Asia.
Data source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division.
World Urbanization Prospects: The 2014 Revision. (New York: 2014)
URBAN POPULATION, BY REGION:
● Africa ● Latin America and the Caribbean
● Asia
● Northern America
● Europe ● Oceania
The Urban Challenge
As the world becomes more urbanized, the child
survival challenge is increasingly located among
the urban poor. Some of the highest child
mortality rates are now found in urban slums,
and the numbers at risk are sure to grow if
current trends continue. In Africa, Asia and the
Americas, the poorest urban children are twice
as likely to die as the richest urban children.
And in many places, they are also more likely to
die than rural children.
Save the Children estimates that over half
of under-5 deaths in Latin America and the
Caribbean now occur in urban areas. In Asia
and Africa, roughly 30 percent of under-5
deaths occur in urban settings, but these regions
are urbanizing quickly, and as they become
more urbanized the share of under-5 deaths
that occurs in urban areas is likely to also
increase. 17 Maternal and child health needs will
become increasingly urgent in the urban areas of
these regions.
A few facts about urbanization in developing
countries:
• The number and size of cities in the developing
world has exploded in recent decades. In 1970,
there were 273 cities in developing countries, all
with populations between 300,000 and 10 million.
Today, there 1,287 cities (5 times as many)
and 22 have populations of 10 million or more. 18
• The number of “megacities” (cities with populations
over 10 million) worldwide has grown
10-fold since 1970. By 2030, over 80 percent of
the world’s megacities (34 of 41) will be in developing
countries. 19
• In 1975, only 1 percent of urban dwellers in
developing countries lived in megacities. By
2030, 15 percent will live in megacities. A large
but shrinking share of developing country
urban dwellers live in small cities with fewer
than 300,000 people (43 percent in 2015). 20
12 Global Trends in Child Survival and Urbanization