CONTENTS

PREFACE ..................................................................................................................... .................................................. iii

EXPLANATORY NOTES ................................................................................................................................................ viii
CLASSIFICATION OF COUNTRIES BY GEOGRAPHIC REGION, INCOME GROUP AND GEOGRAPHIC SUBREGION OF THE
WORLD .................................................................................................................................................................... x
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................ xix
INTRODUCTION AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS ....................................................................................................................
1
A. Urbanization and sustainable development ...................................................................................................... 3
B. Data and methods ............................................................................................................................................. 5
I. URBAN AND RURAL POPULATION GROWTH AND WORLD URBANIZATION PROSPECTS .............................................. 9
A. Overview of world urbanization trends ............................................................................................................ 9
B. Contrasting urbanization trends in the less developed regions and the more developed regions ................... 12
C. Patterns of urban and rural growth by income group ................................................................................ ..... 21
D. Patterns of urban and rural growth in the six geographic regions of the world .............................................. 23
II. URBAN AND RURAL POPULATION SIZE AND GROWTH AT THE COUNTRY LEVEL .................................................. 33
A. The level of urbanization ................................................................................................................................ 33
B. The size and growth of the urban and rural populations ................................................................................. 43
C. The rate of urbanization ................................................................................................. ................................. 47
III. PATTERNS OF CITY GROWTH.................................................................................................................................. 55
A. The Hierarchy of cities and urban system ...................................................................................................... 55
B. Patterns of city growth over time ........................................................................................ ........................... 71
IV. SOURCE OF DATA ON URBAN AND CITY POPULATION ............................................................................................ 81
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. ................................. 101
TABLES
Table 1. Number of countries according to the criteria used in defining urban areas, 2018 Revision ......................... 6
Table 2. Number of countries according to the criteria used in defining city populations, 2018 Revision .................. 7
Table I.1. Total, urban and rural populations and their average annual rates of change, for the world and
development groups, selected years and periods, 1950-2050 ....................................................................... 9
Table I.2. Milestones in world total and urban populations .........................................................................................
11
Table I.3. Percentage urban and rate of urbanization of the world, by development group, selected years and periods,
1950-2050 ........................................................................................................................ ............. 11
Table I.4. The total, urban and rural populations of the world, the more developed regions and the less developed
regions, 1950, 1970, 1990, 2018, 2030 and 2050 ...................................................................... 13
Table I.5. Percentage urban and average annual rate of change of the urban and total population of China, 1950-2050
................................................................................................................................................... 18
Table I.6. Percentage urban and rate of urbanization of the world, the more developed regions and the less developed
regions, 1950-2050 .................................................................................................................... 21
vi World Urbanization Prospects: The 2018 Revision
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Population Division Table I.7. Percentage urban and rate of
urbanization of the world, by income group, selected years and periods, 1950-2050
..................................................................................................................................... 23
Table I.8. Evolution of the urban, rural and total populations of the world, by geographic region, selected years,
1950-2050 ................................................................................................................................................... 25
Table I.9. Average annual increment of the urban population and distribution of that increment by geographic
region, selected periods, 1950-2050 ........................................................................................................... 26
Table I.10. Percentage urban and rate of urbanization of the world, by geographic region, selected periods, 1950-
2050 ................................................................................................................................................... 26
Table II.1. Countries or areas with more than 90 per cent of their population residing in urban areas, in 1950, 1990,
2018 and 2050* ................................................................................................................................ 39
Table II.2. The ten least urbanized countries or areas in 1950, 1990, 2018 and 2050* ...............................................
40
Table II.3. The 30 countries with the largest increases and declines in rural population projected between 2018 and
2050 ........................................................................................................................ ............................. 46
Table II.4. The ten fastest urbanizing countries or areas, 1950-1990, 1990-2018, and 2018-2050, by rank order ......
52
Table II.5. Countries or areas with declining percentage urban, 1990-2018* .............................................................
53
Table III.1. Population distribution of the world, by rural/urban area of residence and size class of urban settlement,
1970, 1990, 2018 and 2030 ................................................................................................... ... 55
Table III.2. Population distribution and number of urban agglomerations of the world and its geographic regions,
....................................................................................................................................................... 59
Table III.3. Population and number of urban agglomerations of the income groups and development groups by size
class of urban settlement, 1970, 1990, 2018 and 2030 ........................................................................ 66
Table III.4. Population of urban agglomerations with the highest degrees of primacy, urban population and
percentage urban by countries, 2018 ......................................................................................... ................. 70
Table III.5. Population size and average annual rate of change of the fastest-growing urban agglomerations in 1990-
2018 and 2018-2030 ........................................................................................................................ .. 74
Table III.6. Urban agglomerations with 5 million inhabitants or more, 1970, 2018 and 2030 ....................................
77
FIGURES
Figure I.1. Estimated and projected urban populations of the world, the more developed regions .............................
13
Figure I.2. Annual increment of the urban population of the more developed regions and the less developed regions,
....................................................................................................................................................... 14
Figure I.3. Annual increment of the world’s population, annual increment of the urban population of the less
developed regions and urban increment of the less developed regions as a percentage of the world total increment
............................................................................................................................................ 15
Figure I.4. Average annual rate of change of the urban populations of the world, the more developed regions and the
less developed regions, 1950-2050 ................................................................................................ 16
Figure I.5. Average annual rate of change of the urban population, China and the less developed regions excluding
China, 1950-2050....................................................................................................................... 17
Figure I.6. Average annual rate of change of the urban, rural and total population of China, 1950-2050...................
17
Figure I.7. Average annual rate of change of the rural populations of the world, the more developed regions and the
less developed regions, 1950-2050 ....................................................................................................... 19
Figure I.8. Estimated and projected rural populations of the world, the more developed regions and the less
developed regions, 1950-2050 .................................................................................................................... 20
Figure I.9. Percentage of population residing in urban areas by income group, 1950-2050........................................
22
Figure I.10. Average annual rate of change of the urban population by geographic region, 1950-2050 .....................
24
Figure I.11. Percentage of population residing in urban areas by geographic region, 1950-2050 ...............................
27
Figure I.12. Rate of urbanization by geographic region, 1950-2050 ...........................................................................
28
Figure I.13. Rate of urbanization, China and Asia excluding China, 1950-2050 ........................................................
29
Figure I.14. Average annual rate of change of the rural population by geographic region, 1950-2050 ......................
30
Figure II.1. Percentage of population residing in urban areas for all countries of the world, by geographic region and
population size, 1950, 2018 and 2050 ................................................................................................. 34
Figure II.2. Association between levels and rates of urbanization and gross national income (GNI) .........................
42
Figure II.3. Urban population size in 2018 and increase in the projected urban population between 2018 and 2050 by
countries ....................................................................................................................................... 44
World Urbanization Prospects: The 2018 Revision vii
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Population Division Figure II.4. Rural population size in 2018
by countries............................................................................................... 45
Figure II.5. Average annual rates of change of urban and rural populations in countries by geographic region, 1990-
2018* ....................................................................................................................... .......................... 48
Figure II.6. Rate of urbanization and percentage urban in countries by geographic region, 1950-1990 and 1990-2018
............................................................................................................................................................ 49
Figure II.7. Rate of urbanization in countries by geographic region, 1950-1990, 1990-2018 and 2018-2050 ............
51
Figure III.1. Population of the world, by area of residence and size class of urban settlement, 2018 .........................
56
Figure III.2. Population and number of cities of the world, by size class of urban settlement, 1970, 1990, 2018 and
2030 ........................................................................................................................ ............................. 58
Figure III.3. Urban population of the world and geographic regions and number of cities, by size class of urban
settlement, 2018 .......................................................................................................................................... 62
Figure III.4. Urban population of the income groups and development groups, by size class of urban settlement,
2018 ............................................................................................................................................................ 64
Figure III.5. Urban agglomerations by average annual rate of change of the population, 1970-1990, 1990-2018 and
2018-2030 ............................................................................................................................................ 72
Figure III.6. Population of the world’s urban agglomerations with 15 million inhabitants or more in 2018, 1970-2030
............................................................................................................................................................ 76
BOXES
Box I.1. What is urbanization? .............................................................................................. ...................................... 10
Box I.2. Sources of urban growth ............................................................................................ ....................................
12
Box III.1. The definition of city ................................................................................................................................ 57
Box III.2. Definition of Cities and City population in China ................................................................................. 61
MAPS
Map II.1. Percentage of population residing in urban areas, 1950, 2018 and 2050 .....................................................
36
Map III.1. Cities by size class of urban settlement, 1990, 2018 and 2030 ...................................................................
65