More than half of the world’s population lives in cities which is even growing rapidly and some of the cities are astounding in the growth metric. In 2014, about 53% of the world’s population resided in towns and cities. However, levels of urbanization still vary from country to country. The urban population has been increasing consistently in every corner of the world. A surprising fact is, in 1950 the world’s population was 2.5 billion and in last 70 years it has become 7.2 billion. The number is expected to increase another half a billion by 2050. About 50% of the world’s urban dwellers live in a relatively small settlement, while about 13% live in mega-cities.
Five Most Fastest Growing Dynamic Cities
Suzhou, China
Suzhou is the fastest growing city in the world, with an annual population change rate of 6.3% between 2010 and 2015. It is the only city in China with more than 5 million people to have experienced also exponential growth. Most cities with over 500,000 people grew at an annual rate of 2.4%. The large manufacturing sector, the second-largest in China, contributes to this rapid growth. Suzhou is also a major destination for foreign investment due to low operating costs and relative proximity to Shanghai.
Surat, India
With an annual rate of change of 4.8% between 2010 and 2015, Surat is the second-fastest-growing city in the world. The city has a population of around 4.5 million people. The Diamond City is the administrative capital of Surat District and is located approximately 176 miles south of Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarati. The growth is attributed to the city’s economy which ranks 10th in India. Surat is also a smart IT city with several national IT SMEs setting up a data center there.
Beijing, China
Beijing is the second-fastest-growing city in China and the third fastest in the world, with an average annual change rate of 4.6%. In 1990, Beijing had a population of 6.7 million which topped 19 million by 2014. The population is expected to grow another 8-9 million by 2030. The high growth rate is attributed to several factors ranging from economic factors social and political factors. It is home to some of the largest state-owned enterprises in China and a major transportation and education city with 91 universities. Beijing and Hangzhou had the same average annual population change rate of 4.6 between 20,100 and 2015.
Kinshasha, DRC
Kinshasha is one of three cities outside of Asia that are among the most dynamic cities in the world. The other two are African cities. Luanda in Angola and Lagos in Nigeria. Kinshasha recorded an average annual population change rate of 15. The city experienced strong population growth of 4.2 million in 3 to 1990 million in 11. The city has several large companies such as Marsavco SARL which has contributed to the growth of the urban area.
Future growth projections
The urban population is expected to increase by more than two-thirds to 7.8 billion by 2050. Nearly 90% of the increase is expected to take Africa and Asia. Africa’s urban population is expected to triple by mid-century, while that of Asia is expected to increase by 61%. The urban population is also expected to be concentrated in a few countries, with China, India, and Nigeria expected to account for 31%.
