United Nations, November 19 (PTI) According to the UN, India and six other nations "will shape the future growth of the city population" of the world since they are predicted to add more than 500 million city dwellers between 2025 and 2050.
According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs' (UN DESA) "World Urbanization Prospects 2025: Summary of Results," cities presently house 45% of the world's 8.2 billion people.
According to the analysis, seven nations—India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia—will account for the majority of the world's urban population growth between now and 2050.

These seven nations, which account for roughly one-third (30%) of the world's population in 2025, "will shape the future growth of the city population" and are expected to account for more than half of the increase in city dwellers worldwide by 2050. When combined, these seven nations are predicted to add more than 500 million city dwellers between 2025 and 2050, making up more than half of the estimated 986 million rise in the world's population over that time.

Global development outcomes will be shaped by the success or failure of urbanization in these important nations. According to the report, their capacity to sustainably manage urban growth will have a significant impact on both their populations and the global advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals and climate objectives.According to the survey, between now and 2050, the most people will live in towns in the two most populous nations, China and India. As of 2025, 40% of people in China and 44% of people in India lived in towns. Over 1.2 billion people live in towns in China and India combined, making up more than 40% of all people who live in towns worldwide. With a combined population of around 1.2 billion (627 million in China and 589 million in India in 2025), both nations do, however, also have sizable urban populations.

Both nations' urban populations grew rapidly between 1950 and 1975, but between 1975 and 2000 and in the years that followed, this rate of expansion moderated, mostly as a result of lowering birth rates and slower overall population growth.
The percentage of people living in towns has decreased despite this slowdown because city population growth has surpassed town population increase. Over 200 million people currently live in rural areas in each nation, and this number is predicted to stay largely constant through 2050, according to the report.
According to the survey, the number of megacities increased from eight in 1975 to 33 in 2025, with 19 of them located in Asia.China has four megacities, and India alone has five.
Between 2015 and 2025, the population of over 3,000 cities worldwide decreased. In 2025, the majority of cities with declining populations will have fewer than 250,000 residents. It stated that growth and decline can happen concurrently within nations, with almost one-third being in China and another 17% in India. While the population of their nation increased, the populations of several cities decreased. On the other hand, several cities saw population growth in spite of the country's declining population.
Towns continue to be the most prevalent settlement form in 71 countries as of 2025, despite the global trend toward urban living. This group includes nations from all over the world and with varying degrees of economic growth, such as the United States of America, Germany, India, and Uganda.

Over 1.2 billion people live in towns in China and India combined, making up more than 40% of all town dwellers worldwide. Between 2025 and 2050, it is anticipated that the towns in Central and Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa would continue to have rapid population expansion. Over half of the 1.25 billion people who live in cities worldwide between 2000 and 2025 originated from a small number of nations. Together, India, China, Nigeria, Pakistan, and the United States of America have added more than 500 million people to the world's urban population.

"Towns currently house nearly one-seventh of the world's population in China and India, the two most populous countries in the world; this proportion is expected to persist at least through the mid-century," the report stated.
As governments gather at COP30 to further global climate commitments, the UN emphasizes the critical role urbanization plays in promoting sustainable development and climate resilience across all settlement types, according to Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.
One of the key factors characterizing our era is urbanization. It can open up revolutionary avenues for social justice, economic expansion, and climate action when handled deliberately and inclusively. "Countries must adopt integrated national policies that align housing, land use, mobility, and public services across urban and rural areas in order to achieve balanced territorial development," he stated.