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UN DESA releases World Urbanization Prospects 2025 with new 'degree of urbanization' measure; cities expected to house 45% of world population
Summary
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs released World Urbanization Prospects 2025 and an expanded dataset that applies a new standardized "degree of urbanization" method. The report finds 45% of the world’s 8.2 billion people live in cities in 2025 and highlights built-up area growth outpacing population growth.
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) on Friday released World Urbanization Prospects 2025, an updated dataset and report that apply a new standardized "degree of urbanization" methodology intended to improve international comparisons of cities, towns and rural areas.
Bjork Sankir, UN DESA’s assistant secretary-general for policy coordination, opened the briefing and said the release “offers updated estimates and projections of population and land use across cities, towns, and rural areas,” and that copies of the report and a QR code were available for attendees. She framed the work as central to sustainable development and monitoring Sustainable Development Goal 11 on cities.
The report presents two parallel series. John Wilmeth, director of UN DESA’s Population Division, said the first series follows national definitions of “urban” reported in country censuses and thus reflects domestic classifications over time. The second uses a…
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