There has been some recent press coverage concerning the growth of Megacities. Here are some of the key facts that have been reported – update your lesson plans now!
By 2050, 14 more cities will have a population of over 10 million people – bringing the world total to 37.
It is predicted that by 2050, 70% of the world’s population will live in mega cities – according to the Institute for Economics and Peace.
The largest mega city is said to be Tokyo, with a population of 37.3 million people.
A total of 19 of the world’s mega cities are located in Asia.
Dar es Salaam in Tanzania will see largest population growth at 118 percent (from 7.5 million to 16.4 million by 2050)
The nation of Tanzania will account for more than half the world’s population growth between now and 2050, along will fellow African nations, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Congo.
A 2021 UN report projected the world’s population will reach around 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050 and 10.4 billion in 2100.
The same report put the current U.S population at 337 million, reaching 375 million in 2050. The population growth rate in 2021 was just 0.1 percent, the lowest since the country was founded.
The only place in the U.S. that is expected to join the megacities ranks is Chicago, where the population is expected to balloon more than 20 percent from 8.9 million to 10.8 million.
Other countries rounding out the list with the fastest growing populations are Egypt, Pakistan, the Philippines and India, which is set to overtake China as the world’s most populous nation in April 2023.
The same report said that 85 percent of the earth’s population will be living in cities by the year 2100.
Even as populations soar in some countries, the U.N. says rates are expected to drop by 1 percent or more in 61 nations.
Devon Geography 