By 2050, a staggering 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas, a dramatic increase from just 30% in 1950. This massive shift is driven by the allure of better jobs and education in cities, alongside the push from rural areas due to automation and climate change. Countries like China will see urban populations soar from 11.8% in 1950 to 80% by 2050, while places like the UK, Japan, and Brazil will have over 90% of their people in cities. This urban boom, highlighted in a striking new infographic, is reshaping our world in ways we can hardly imagine.
The UN World Population Division predicts that by 2050, seven out of 10 people will reside in urban settings. This is an increase from 1950’s three out of ten.
The above graph, courtesy of Statista’s Anna Fleck, examines a limited number of global nations to illustrate some of the trends anticipated going forward. China is predicted to have the biggest percentage change of all of them over the next 100 years, going from 11.8 percent of the population living in urban centers in 1950 to 80 percent in 2050, a difference of almost 68.2 percent. The growth of jobs in the urban manufacturing and service sectors has contributed to this in part.
By 2050, more than 90% of the people in several countries, including Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Japan, are predicted to live in urban regions. The UK had a significant degree of urbanization relatively early on, as this figure illustrates, partly because of its early industrial revolution and the town-dwelling mentality of its citizens. Similar predictions are made for several Northern and Western European nations, whereby by 2050 it is expected that less than 90% of the people will live in cities. The prediction is 82.1 percent on average for Southern Europe and 79.4 percent on average for Eastern Europe. In the meantime, 83.7 percent of Americans are predicted to live in metropolitan areas by 2025 set to rise to 89.2 percent by 2050.
The reasons of urbanization are numerous.
These can be broadly categorized as “pull factors,” which might include better employment and educational opportunities or an interest in a different lifestyle, whereas “push factors” might be things like being forced to leave a rural area due to natural disasters, agricultural automation, and land consolidation leading to fewer rural labor jobs.
There’s talk that climate change will have a significant influence here as well, making some places—like the equator and coastal regions—ever more uninhabitable. This was brought home by a recent study that found that, as a result of increasing sea levels, about 13 million Americans may have to relocate by the year 2100.
However, urban growth is not a universal phenomenon with some cities seeing population decline.
Last month, GreatGameIndia reported that, according to the Zumper National Rent Index, the cities with the highest rent in the US are New York City at $4,200 for a one-bedroom, followed by Jersey City and San Francisco.
One Response
Who shat THIS prediction from his buttocks!?
By 2050, there will be NO cities left and 70%
of the population will be DEAD!