World’s constructed areas expanding twice as fast as the population since 1975

The amount of built-up land grew almost twice as fast as the global population since 1975, and more people today live in cities than in towns (classification including towns and semi-dense areas) or rural areas, according to the UN report World Urbanization Prospects 2025 (WUP25), published today.

This year's edition of the report presents population estimates and projections for three different categories: cities, towns and rural areas. The three mutually exclusive categories are defined according to their degree of urbanisation, combining population size and density thresholds. The JRC contribution to the creation of the global dataset for the degree of urbanisation was instrumental to the compilation of the report.

Using satellites to trace distribution and density of urban areas

Urbanisation is changing how and where we live, work and build communities. While the faster growth of population in urban than in rural areas is a well-documented phenomenon, the WUP25 report reveals these trends with unprecedented spatial detail.

By integrating satellite imagery with census data through methodologies developed by the JRC, researchers can now analyse how population distribution has changed since 1950 and the expansion of built-up areas have evolved since 1975. WUP25 presents the UN's estimates and projections of urbanisation for 237 countries and areas, covering over 12 000 cities with at least 50 000 inhabitants.

In 1950 only 20% of the world's population lived in cities, while 40% lived in towns. Today, the situation is radically different: 45% reside in cities and 36% in towns, while roughly 20% live in rural areas. Findings also show where the greatest urban and demographic shifts are expected to occur by 2050.

Looking ahead: future growth and megacities

Two-thirds of global population growth by 2050 will take place in cities and will be concentrated in seven countries: India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia. These nations will add over 500 million urban residents, more than half of the projected 982 million new city dwellers. Overall, Africa will be the continent that experiences the biggest relative change in growth of cities and towns.

At the same time, megacities will continue to expand, reshaping the global urban order. Dhaka, today the world's fourth largest city, is projected to top the ranking by mid-century, while Tokyo would drop from the first to seventh place. With already near 42 million inhabitants today Jakarta will remain among the largest, with seven new megacities - including Kuala Lumpur and Addis Ababa - emerging by 2050.

Town populations in sub-Saharan Africa and central and southern Asia are also expected to grow robustly, challenging the global stagnation trend. Urbanisation will continue to outpace population growth worldwide, keeping the trend of the last decades.

Understanding historical trends in urbanisation

Cities in sub-Saharan Africa and central and southern Asia have been the ones contributing the most to global city population growth since 1975. Since then, the total number of cities has doubled - from over 6000 to 12000 in 2025 - showing widespread urban expansion across regions beyond traditional megacities.

Construction outpaced population growth in many parts of the world, with built-up land expanding almost twice as fast as the global population, increasing each person's built-up land use from 44 to 63m². Rural areas doubled their amount of built-up land despite slow or negative population growth, showing low land use inefficiency compared to cities.

Rural populations faced decline in Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand, pressured by aging populations and youth migration to towns and cities. Strengthening urban-rural connections could help reduce regional disparities and support rural community resilience.

Data to manage sustainable urban and rural development

As cities, towns and rural areas grow, their physical footprints are spreading even faster. This rapid expansion is affecting farmland and natural ecosystems, putting long-term sustainability at risk. In addition, the rapid urbanisation that many of the countries will experience in particular in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia implies massive infrastructure investments needs.

How such urban expansion will happen may have massive implications for the costs and efficiency of such infrastructure provision and thus ultimately for the development prospects of these countries. The unique and detailed data provided by this report could contribute to better planning of this rapid urban expansion.

On average, the amount of built-up land per person has risen worldwide, especially in Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Countries in Central and southern Asia remain the most efficient, using least built-up land per person. In rural areas, even where populations have grown slowly or declined, built-up land per resident has doubled since 1975. These patterns show deep inefficiencies in how space is used and highlight the urgent need to manage land more carefully to avoid sprawl and protect valuable natural resources.

Addressing these challenges means using land more wisely, encouraging compact and connected development, considering spatial and environmental limitations, more - and better - planning, and upgrading infrastructure in smaller towns. In the European Union, a multi-stakeholder and multi-level governance partnership is being set up, under the Urban Agenda for the EU, to work on the subject of 'Compact Cities - Sustainable Urban Planning and Sprawl Mitigation'.

Open and free data and tools, available through the Global Human Settlement Layer - a JRC-developed knowledge platform - are essential to help make evidence-based decisions. By balancing urban growth with environmental stewardship, societies can build more sustainable and resilient urban-rural systems for the future.

Making urban data more accessible is one of the areas of action considered under the EU Agenda for Cities that will be launched by the European Commission in 2025.

The Global Human Settlement Layer

The report's estimates are based on data provided by the JRC's Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL), a component of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service(CEMS). Satellite imagery is combined with national census data to develop population density grids, and these grids are used to map settlement types, classifying the world's settlements as cities, towns or rural regions.

Using data from the GHSL, the JRC also developed projections of future urbanisation patternsbased on the Degree of Urbanisation methodology, modelling which areas are most likely to attract new residents, based on historical trends, and distance to other settlements, roads, utilities, and other characteristics.

New approach to gridded population and built-up area

A key innovation of the WUP25 is the full integration of the new harmonised Degree of Urbanisation methodology, which allows cities, towns, and rural areas to be measured consistently across countries and over time - while still providing results based on national definitions for domestic policy use and statistical continuity.

Related content

UN report World Urbanization Prospects 2025 (WUP25)

Population in cities, towns and rural areas from 1950 to 2100

Global Human Settlement - World Urbanisation Prospects - Country statistics

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