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The world's population is growing rapidly and reached 7.9 billion people in 2022. The highest rates of population growth are occurring in emerging and developing countries (EDCs) and low-income developing countries (LIDCs), such as Niger, Bahrain and Equatorial Guinea. Some countries are experiencing population decline, for example Japan, Russia and Romania but their cities are still growing and changing.

Today more than 55% of the world's population live in urban areas.

Cities are large urban settlements. The number of cities with over 10 million people is increasing. These are called megacities. In 1950, there were only two megacities - New York and Tokyo. Today, there are at least 33 - mostly in the LIDCs and emerging and developing countries (EDCs) in Asia, Africa and Latin America. By 2030, there will be more than 40.

A world city is a globally important city, like London or Tokyo, which has an economic or cultural status that is recognised above other cities.

Causes of urban growth

The population of cities changes in one of two ways:

1. natural increase (or decrease) - the difference between the number of births and the number of deaths
2. migration - the movement of people into or out of the city

More and more people are leaving rural areas and moving to cities. This is called rural to urban migration. People move because of push and pull factors. Push factors are things that make people want to leave rural areas and pull factors are the things that attract people to the city.

Push factors

These include:

• unemployment
• lower wages
• crop failure
• poor living conditions
• poor health and education services
• few facilities
• natural disasters
• civil war

Pull factors

These include:

• more jobs
• higher wages
• better living conditions
• better education and health services
• better facilities
• less chance of natural disasters

Many LIDCs have cities growing rapidly as a result of inward migration and natural population increase.

Cities like Accra in Ghana are experiencing rapid urbanisation. This process impacts on all aspects of the settlement:

• Social - there are too many people for existing housing, schools and hospitals. Tensions may develop between new arrivals and longer established residents. Crime levels are also rising.
• Economic - there are not enough jobs for all the people. City authorities cannot afford to plan and pay for all the facilities and infrastructure that the growing population needs. Many people work but do not contribute taxes to the government so spending cannot match needs.
• Environmental - the green space in the city decreases as squatter settlements are built, and this reduces the amount of inner city garden food growing areas. The city grows outwards as much new growth is on the edge of the built-up area. Pollution levels rise with more people in the city.