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| Africa's population is expected to triple by 2050. Photo: Arne Hoel/World Bank |
[6 April 2012] -- The 2011 version of a UN report on urbanization has projected that there will be significant increases in population in cities on the Asian and African continents by the year 2050, UN officials said here on Thursday.
"Africa's urban population is expected to more than triple from 414 million to 1.26 billion people and Asia's urban population will increase by an estimated 1.4 billion from 1.9 to 3.3 billion," Jomo Kwame Sundaram, UN assistant secretary-general for economic development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), told reporters.
The announcements came at a press conference to launch the 2011 Revision of the World Urbanization Prospects. Every two years since 1988, the population division of DESA has released estimates of population changes around the world.
"Globally, as you know, urban areas are expected to absorb all future population growth," said Sundaram. "Between 2011 and 2050, the world population is expected to increase by 2.3 billion. Global urban population will increase by 2.6 billion."
He said that there are projected to be "significant disparities" between urban population growth in different regions. Africa and Asia will lead the way, according to the report, accounting for 86 percent of global urban population growth.
"However, the urban population in Europe is expected to grow by only about 52 million and in North America by about 110 million and in Latin America and the Caribbean by about 178 million," Sundaram said.
The report indicated that by country, the greatest increases in urban population are expected in India, China, Nigeria, the United States and Indonesia. India and China will add the most people, a projected 497 million and 341 million people, respectively, to cities.
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