World Urbanisation Prospects 2025

The World Urbanisation Prospects 2025 Report, prepared by the UN DESA Population Division using the Degree of Urbanization method, shows that in 2025, 45% of the global population lives in cities, 36% in towns, and 19% in rural areas.
    •    Megacities with populations over 10 million have increased from 8 in 1975 to 33 in 2025, with Asia hosting 19 of them, and the largest cities being Jakarta, Dhaka, Tokyo, and New Delhi.
    •    Despite the rise of megacities, small and medium cities dominate global urban patterns, with 96% of the world’s 12,000 cities having fewer than 1 million residents and 81% having fewer than 250,000.
    •    Rural areas were the dominant settlement type in 116 countries in 1975, but this has fallen to 62 countries today and is projected to decline further to 44 countries by 2050.
    •    In India, 44% of the population lives in towns, highlighting the importance of intermediate settlements, and India together with China accounts for over 1.2 billion town dwellers, more than 40% of the world’s total.
    •    Shrinking cities are concentrated mainly in Asia, with over one-third in China and 17% in India.
    •    By 2050, seven countries—India, Nigeria, Pakistan, DR Congo, Egypt, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia—will account for over half of the projected 986 million rise in global urban population, placing India at the centre of future urban growth.