August 2014
No. 2014/2
A World of Cities
T
he post-2015 development agenda will need to
address old and new challenges for the wellbeing of
millions of urban dwellers around the world. Cities and
urban areas are at the heart of economic, social, and
environmental processes that impinge on sustainability.
Achieving sustainable development will therefore require
well-planned urbanization, taking into account the
growth of cities of all sizes. Patterns of city size and
growth vary greatly over space and time, as shown by
new United Nations estimates and projections of cities
and urban areas.1
1. Though increasing in number, megacities are
home to a small share of the urban population
In 1990, there were ten megacities with 10 million
inhabitants or more, which were home to 153 million
people. Today, the number of megacities worldwide
has more than doubled. In 2014, 28 megacities were
home to 453 million people or about 12 percent of the
world’s urban dwellers. Among those 28 megacities,
sixteen are located in Asia, four in Latin America, three each
in Africa and Europe, and two in Northern America (see
map).
Tokyo
remains
the
world’s
largest
urban
agglomeration with 38 million inhabitants, followed by
Delhi with 25 million, Shanghai with 23 million,
and Mexico City, Mumbai and São Paulo, each with
around 21 million inhabitants (figure 1). Osaka (Kinki
Major Metropolitan Area) has just over 20 million, followed
by Beijing with slightly less than 20 million. The New YorkNewark area and Cairo complete the list of the ten most
populous urban areas with around 18.5 million inhabitants
each.
By 2030, thirteen new megacities will emerge in the
less developed regions. Although Tokyo’s population is
projected to decline, it is expected to remain the world’s
largest city in 2030 with 37 million inhabitants, followed
closely by Delhi, whose population is projected to rise
swiftly to 36 million by 2030. New megacities will emerge
in the less developed regions, including capital cities such
as Bangkok, Bogota, Lima, and Luanda, plus seven more
megacities in Asia and two in Africa.
2. Small cities are home to a large share of the
urban population, with many growing rapidly
Overall, nearly half of the world’s 3.9 billion urban
dwellers reside in relatively small settlements with
fewer than 500,000 inhabitants. In 2014, around 505
million people in the more developed regions were living
in urban settlements with fewer than 500,000 inhabitants,
while in the less developed regions 1.4 billion did so. In the
least developed countries, over half of the urban
Figure 1. Population of the largest cities in 2014, from 1970 to 2030 40
Tokyo
Population (millions)
35
30
Delhi
25
Shanghai
20
Mexico City
15
2014
Mumbai
10
São Paulo
5
0
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
Data source: United Nations (2014). World Urbanization Prospects: The 2014 Revision.
August 2014
POPFACTS, No. 2014/2
1
popu
ulation (56 per
p cent) live
ed in these relatively
r
smaall
urban
n areas.
Small towns and cities
c
with few
wer than 300,0
000 inhabitan
nts
or a large, alb
beit declining
g, proportion of
have accounted fo
urban populaation since 1990 (figure 2). Meanwhille,
the u
citiess of 1 million or
o more have
e been increassing their share
of thee world’s urbaan population
n.
Figure 2. Distrribution of the
e world’s urban
n population
by size class off urban settlem
ment and num
mber of cities,
1990, 2014 and 2030 100
10 cities
21 cities
90
80
239 cities
Percentage
70
294 cities
412 cities
60
50
40
28 cities
41 cities
43 cities
63 cities
417 cities
525 cities
679 cities
558 cities
731 cities
832 cities
30
10 million or
more
5 to 10 million
1 to 5 million
500,000 to 1
million
300,000 to
500,000
20
10
Less than
300,000
0
1990
2014
2030
Datta source: United Nations (2014). World Urbanization
U
Prospeccts: The 2014
Revvision.
Many
y small cities are growin
ng rapidly. Among
A
the 67
79
urban
n settlementss with 300,00
00 to 500,000
0 inhabitants in
2014
4, 271 have grown at an avverage annuaal rate of 3 per
cent or more durin
ng the period 1990-2014.
3. Mo
ore cities arre growing slowly or de
eclining
Most of the citiess with low grrowth rates during 1990
0e, Northern A
America and Eastern Asia
a.
2014 aare in Europe
The nu
umber of citiees with annuaal growth ratees of less than
n
1 per ccent has doub
bled from 129
9 cities during
g 1970-1990 to
o
264 citties during 19990-2014. On
nly three citiess in Africa had
d
such lo
ow growth rates.
ugh the num
Althou
mber of citie
es estimated to have lost
popullation is relattively small, it has increa
ased in recent
decad
des. During 19970-1990, 60 ccities experienced negative
e
growt h, most of which were in the Unitted Kingdom
m,
0Germaany and the U
United Statess of America. During 1990
2014, the number o
of cities with declining populations rose
e
Russian Federration, Ukraine
e
to 98, many of whicch are in the R
other Europeaan countries. Cities in deccline included
d
and o
severaal capitals, such as Brratislava, Bud
dapest, Riga
a,
Saraje vo, Tallinn, TTbilisi and Yeerevan. Durin
ng 2014-2030
0,
umber of cities with declining populations is expected
d
the nu
to fall to 45, and these are found mostly iin low-fertility
y
countrries with stagnating or decclining populaations.
______
_____________
1
The ffigures cited in this publication
n come from Wo
World Urbanization
online
from
Prospeccts:
The
20014
Revision,
available
m
www.un
npopulation.org. The population
n living in urban areas of less than
300,0000 inhabitants w
was calculated aas the difference between the
estimatted total urban p
population and the combined estimates for urban
areas w
with 300,000 inhabitants or more.
Citie
es by size class of urban settllement, 2014**
U
Nations (2014
4). World Urbanizatio
on Prospects: The 20114 Revision.
Data source: United
* Urban agglo
omerations of 300,00
00 inhabitants or mo
ore in 2014.
Disclaimer: Th
he designations emp
ployed and the prese
entation of material on
o the map do not i mply the expression
n of any opinion whaatsoever
on the part of the Secretariat of th
he United Nations co
oncerning the legal status
s
of any countryy, territory, city or arrea or of its authorities,
g the delimitation of its frontiers or boun
ndaries. or concerning
August 2014
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