The bar chart illustrate the rate of urbanisation worldwide and across six region in 1975 and 2020 with the forecast for 2050.
Overall, a marked trend towards higher urbanisation can be seen almost universally across the globe, although variation in levels and rates are evident.
From 1975 to 2020, global urbanisation increased from under 40% to 56% and is expected to exceed two-thirds by 2050. This rise has been primarily driven by Asia and Africa, which recorded the lowest urban populations of around a quarter in 1975. In 2020, the figures stood at 50% and 43% respectively. By 2050, a further 15% increase is expected in these regions, which will still remain the least urbanised.
In contrast, North America, Europe and Latin America demonstrated some of the highest urbanisation rates and continue to grow, although slowly. In 1975, around three-quarters of people in North America and two-thirds in Europe lived in towns and cities, while by 2020, there urban populations had only gone up by approximately 10%. Similar increases are forecast for 2050, which means that North America will remain the most urbanised region, just below 90%. Latin America experienced accelerated growth from just over 60% in 1975 to just over 80% in 2020, overtaking Europe, and will reach around 87% by 2050.