URBANIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT
In demographic and economic literature, urbanization is frequently used as an indicator of development. There is a very intricate relationship between urbanization and development. State of World Population 2009 shows that the more developed countries are all highly urbanized countries; the least developed countries are all low on urbanization. However, while the level of urbanization in the more developed has almost stabilized, in the less developed countries urbanization is occurring at a fast rate. A high rate of growth of urban population in the least developed countries shows that their urban populations are growing due to both natural increase (births – deaths) and rural to urban migration. Several of them are urbanizing at a rate which is higher than the rate at which the developed countries had urbanized when they had similar level of urbanization. The report established exhibits the following:
In year 2009 the world is around 50 percent urban.
The level of urbanization in the more developed countries is 75 percent.
The level of urbanization in the less developed countries is 45 percent.
The level of urbanization in the least developed countries is 29 percent.
The urban population in the world is growing at 2.0 percent per year.
The urban population in the more developed countries is growing at 0.6 percent per year.
The urban population in the less developed countries is growing at 2.6 percent.
The urban population in the least developed countries is growing at 4.1 percent per year.
In the history of urbanization, the year 2009 is specially marked. In 2009, the world became half urban and as the trends show, in the coming years more than half of the world population will be living in urban areas.
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