NEW DELHI, July 12 — Delhi has become the world’s second most populous city in 2014 after Tokyo, more than doubling its population since 1990 to 25 million, according to a United Nations report.
The 2014 revision of the World Urbanisation Prospects launched on Thursday said that India is projected to add the highest number of people to its urban population by 2050 ahead of China.
The Indian capital is expected to retain its position as the world’s second most populous city through at least 2030, when its population is expected to rise swiftly to 36 million, Press Trust of India reported.
Tokyo topped UN’s ranking of most populous cities in 2014 with 38 million inhabitants and while its population is projected to decline, it will remain the world’s largest city in 2030 with 37 million people.
Tokyo and New Delhi were followed by Shanghai with 23 million, and Mexico City, Mumbai and Sao Paulo with around 21 million inhabitants each in 2014.
Mumbai, which ranks sixth among the world’s most populous cities this year, is projected to become the fourth largest city in 2030 when its population would grow to 28 million from the current 21 million.
The report said that the largest urban growth will take place in India, China and Nigeria between 2014 and 2050, with the three countries accounting for 37 percent of the projected growth of the world’s urban population.
By 2050, India is projected to add 404 million urban dwellers, way more than China’s projection of 292 million.
Nigeria will add 212 million to its urban population. The world’s urban population is now close to 3.9 billion and is expected to reach 6.3 billion in 2050, according to the report. About 3.4 billion people currently live in rural areas around the world but global rural population will start to decline after 2020 and is expected to
reach 3.2 billion in 2050.
–BERNAMA
