After decades of urbanization, cities will be home to 45 percent of the planet’s 8.2 billion people in 2025. In the photo: Qingdao, China. UN report: global urbanization and key trends in Europe and Central Asia Economic development
In the middle of the last century, only 20 percent of the world’s population lived in cities, while today this figure is 45 percent of the total population of the planet, which has already reached 8.2 billion. At the same time, the authors of the study believe that the urbanization process will slow down. This is according to a new report released today by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).
Urbanization is one of the most significant demographic shifts in human history, fundamentally changing how and where people live, work, and form communities.
This trend brings significant benefits, but also creates obvious challenges. Positive aspects include economic development, job creation, access to education, healthcare and infrastructure for more people. Cities stimulate innovation and increase productivity by concentrating resources and talent. At the same time, the rapid growth of human settlements creates problems: housing shortages, traffic congestion and environmental pollution, pressure on water and energy resources. Social inequality may also be increasing. In many places, rapid urbanization is associated with the emergence of slums, an increase in the number of people living in inadequate housing conditions and without legal security. Thus, urbanization requires a balanced policy that will allow it to exploit its economic and social potential while minimizing environmental and social risks.
According to the report, between 1975 and 2025, the area of built-up and inhabited land increased almost twice as fast as the global population. At the same time, cities, towns and rural areas are closely interconnected. Approximately 60 percent of land converted to urban areas since 1970 was previously used as productive agricultural land. Effective urban policies in housing, transport and services can reduce pressure on large cities and promote balanced development. Bridging the gap between urban and rural areas requires investment in infrastructure, support for farmers and small towns.
Global trends
In 1950, urban life was relatively rare: only 20 percent of the world’s 2.5 billion people lived in cities—population centers of at least 50,000 people and a population density of at least 1,500 people per square kilometer. After decades of urbanization, cities are now home to 45 percent of the world’s 8.2 billion people in 2025.
The share of the world’s population living in small cities and towns—populations of at least 5,000 people and a density of at least 300 people per square kilometer—has gradually declined from 40 percent in 1950 to 36 percent in 2025.
Rural areas have lower population densities than cities. Today they are home to less than 20 percent of the world population – half as much as in the middle of the 20th century.
Jakarta, capital of Indonesia.
At the same time, the number of megacities—urban agglomerations with a population of over 10 million—has increased fourfold: from eight in 1975 to 33 in 2025. More than half of them are in Asia. The leader in the number of inhabitants was Jakarta, Indonesia (almost 42 million inhabitants), followed by Dhaka, Bangladesh (about 40 million) and Tokyo, Japan (33 million). The only non-Asian city in the top ten remains Cairo, Egypt.
However, the report’s authors emphasize that the bulk of urban growth occurs outside of megacities. More than 96 percent of all the world’s cities are cities with fewer than a million inhabitants, and most of them are growing faster than the largest metropolitan areas. 2050, which will account for more than half of the projected increase in the world urban population by 986 million people over this period.Among the megacities of the world considered in the report is Moscow, the largest city in Europe. According to the report, the Russian capital showed a population increase in the period 2000–2025 by more than 3 million inhabitants. Today Moscow is in 20th place in the list of the largest megacities in the world with a population of 14.5 million people. According to forecasts, by 2050 this city will have 15.5 million inhabitants.
At the same time, in Russia as a whole, many cities continued to grow even against the background of a general decline in the country’s population.
Central Asia: urban population growth
The countries of Central Asia are recording the growth of urban systems. The region is distinguished by a high proportion of the population living in small cities and urban-type settlements. However, the authors The report predicts a reduction in this indicator due to an increase in the share of large cities.
In Kazakhstan, the share of the population in major cities is projected to grow from 45.3 percent in 2025 to 51 percent in 2050. Currently, 22.4 percent of the country lives in rural settlements, and 32.2 percent live in small towns and urban-type settlements.
In Kyrgyzstan, 23.1 percent of the population lives in rural areas, and 35.5 percent live in towns and other urbanized settlements. The share of residents in large cities is projected to increase from 35.5 percent in 2025 to 43.4 percent by 2050.
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In Tajikistan, more than 51 percent of the population lives in urbanized settlements outside large cities. Rural residents make up 15.5 percent. At the same time, the share of the population in large cities will increase from 33.3 percent in 2025 to 46.8 percent in 2050. Nearly 90 percent of residents are projected to live in urban areas.
In Turkmenistan, the share of the urban population is 32.5 percent in 2025 and is projected to increase to 37.8 percent by 2050. Today, 21.7 percent of the country’s population lives in rural settlements, and 45.8 percent live in small towns and urban-type villages
Meanwhile, in In Uzbekistan, the urban indicator will increase from 43.8 percent to 54.6 percent in the next 25 years. Currently, 43.3 percent of the country’s residents live in small towns, and 12.8 percent live in villages. By 2050, the rural population will be less than 9 percent.
Urbanization in Europe
In Europe developed urban systems and vast rural areas coexist simultaneously. In a number of countries in the region, rural settlements remain the most common type of settlement. Among such countries are Austria, Bulgaria, Poland, France, Finland and Romania. In them, despite the general European trend towards urbanization, the majority of the population continues to live in rural areas.
At the same time Ukraine stands out as a country that lost more than one million urban residents between 2000 and 2025. Almost all Ukrainian cities, according to the report, decreased their population in 2015–2025, which the report’s authors associate with the humanitarian crisis.