United Nations Predicts Urban Population Explosion

As reported by the NY Times and AOL News, a report was released on June 29, 2007 by the United Nation Population Fund stating that by next year, more than half the world's population, 3.3 billion people, will live in cities and towns. This is a first. That number is expected to increase to almost five billion by the year 2030.

The report, titled, "State of World Population 2007: Unleashing the Potential of Urban Growth" stated that the change is expected to be high in Africa and Asia. Between the years 2000 to 2030, the "accumulated urban growth of these two regions during the whole span of history will be duplicated in a single generation" says the report.

This increase in population in urban areas is due mainly because of natural increase, or births, than the migration of people for other areas. George Martine, the one that wrote this report, says it is unstoppable. Poverty is increasing more and more with the increase in population. Martine stated "Now the levels of insecurity and violence are a product of this approach". Martine is a Canadian demographer and sociologist. He added "People have been left to fend for themselves and have created these enormous slums".

Governments need to anticipate such an increase in the urban poor and try to help provide water, housing and other important services. A billion people, a sixth of the world's population already live at the poverty level in the slums. 90% of them are in developing countries. China is the world's most populous nation. The report states "Urbanites are expected to outnumber people in rural areas within a decade".

If the population growth keeps going the way it is going with inadequate services for the slum areas, it could pollute urban watersheds with untreated sewage. This also contributes to an increase in crime and violent acts.

Martine says "But cities are also engines of economic growth, the report notes more optimistically. Cities concentrate poverty, but they also represent the best hope of escaping it".

Here is a list of the top ten most populous metropolitan areas:

10. Buenos Aires, Argentina
9. Calcutta, India
8. Los Angeles, CA
7. Lagos, Nigeria
6. Shanghai, China
5. New York City, NY
4. Sao Paulo, Brazil
3. Mumbai, India
2. Mexico City, Mexico
1. Tokyo, Japan

The New York Times - www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/world/28population.html