UN: 54% of world’s population live in urban areas

MANILA, Philippines - Fifty-four percent of the world’s population live in urban areas and this is expected to increase to 66 percent by 2050, a United Nations report said.

In its 2014 revision of the World Urbanization Prospects report, the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs said an additional 2.5 billion people are predicted to live in urban areas by 2050.

This highlights the need for a successful urban planning agenda and greater attention to smaller cities where nearly half of all people currently reside.

The UN report also said projections indicate that urbanization combined with overall growth will contribute to the 2.5 billion jump, with 37 percent of the projected growth in India, which currently has the largest rural population, China and Nigeria, in that order.

New Delhi, the world’s second most populous city with 25 million inhabitants, is expected to retain that rank through at least 2030 when its population is projected to reach 36 million.

The world’s largest city is Tokyo with 38 million inhabitants. While its population is expected to decline to 37 million by 2030, it will remain at the top.

Shanghai with 23 million inhabitants and Mexico City, Mumbai and Sao Paolo, each with 21 million inhabitants, followed by Osaka with just over 20 million people, round up the top five spots.

The future demography is expected to change with these “mega-cities” falling in rank as relatively smaller urban cities, particularly in developing countries, gain in population.

The most urbanized regions right now include North America where 82 percent of the population lives in urban areas, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean with 80 percent and 73 percent.

By contrast, Africa and Asia remain mostly rural, housing nearly 90 percent of the world’s rural population. Their urban areas are on the rise, however, and while at least 40 percent of the population in African and 48 percent in Asia live in urban areas, by 2050 they are projected to be home to 56 percent and 64 percent urban respectively.

The report also said these countries will face numerous challenges in meeting the needs of their growing urban populations, including housing, infrastructure, transportation, energy, employment and even basic services such as education and health care.

“Managing urban areas has become one of the most important development challenges of the 21st century,” said John Wilmoth, director of the Population Division.

‘Pastoral guidance’

As populations around the world increase and strain resources,  the Catholic Church in the Philippines is encouraging members who are medical workers to refuse to implement the newly approved birth control law.

It is the latest move by the powerful church hierarchy against the Reproductive Health law that took effect this year, compelling the Philippine government for the first time to provide free condoms and contraceptive pills.

“Pastoral guidance” issued by bishops this week explains how government health workers can legally refuse to dish out contraceptives on ethical or religious grounds, said Father Marvin Mejia, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

“Obviously, Catholics should not, on moral grounds, seek employment in the very government agencies that promote artificial contraception,” reads the guidance.

“But if circumstances compelled them to be employed in such agencies... said Catholics should be aware that they cannot be forced to promote, distribute or dispense artificial contraceptives against their religious or moral conviction,” it added.