The line graph illustrates the changes in the proportion of city inhabitants in four countries (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Ecuador) over a 50-year period ending in 2020, along with projections for the next two decades. Overall, it is clear that urban populations have grown significantly, albeit at different rates in each country, resulting in remarkably similar percentages. The forecast predicts a slower rise in the coming years.
At the beginning of the period, the two countries with the smallest urban populations were Uruguay and Ecuador, where around one-fifth lived in cities. Half a century of steady growth meant that by 2020 the proportions had risen to around 95% in Uruguay, making it the most urbanised country on the chart, and to just under 70% in Ecuador.
In Brazil, while half lived in cities in 1970, in 2020 the number stood at a little under 90%, despite falling by around 8% during the 1990s. Of the four nations, Argentina maintained the highest percentage of urban population until it was surpassed by Uruguay shortly before 2020. At the outset of the period, around 70% of Argentinians lived in cities, more than three times the proportion seen in both Uruguay and Ecuador. Since then, growth has been more gradual, eventually topping 90% in 2020.
Over the next twenty years, growth is expected to slow in the countries where cities are currently home to nine out of every ten individuals, rising by no more than 3%. Ecuador, however, should expect its percentage to reach 80% by 2040.