Chartbook 479 Africa’s unprecedented urbanization - against historic normalization (#2)
Of all the mega trends at work in the world today the combination of population growth and urbanization in Africa is one of the most dramatic.
Africa's urbanization is a stunning trend in the modern world. In 1950, only 33 million Africans lived in cities, accounting for 33 percent of the continent's population of 228 million. Today, there are 1.6 billion Africans, with 670 million residing in urban areas, representing 19 percent of the world's total urban population. By 2050, according to projections from Africapolis, Africa will have the world's largest urban population.
Even if these forecasts are overstated, it is highly unlikely that Africa's urban population will not surpass that of China and India by hundreds of millions by the middle of the century. This monumental shift in human life from rural to urban settings marks the beginning of a new chapter for Africa, positioning it as the epicenter of the world's most extensive and extensive urban settlements and civilizations.
Looking further ahead to the 22nd century, Africa is expected to maintain this status. Within the continent, urban concentrations are shifting away from South Africa and Egypt, toward burgeoning metropolises in West Africa, Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and the Great Lakes region. Despite being under-equipped with essential services that urban dwellers in Asia, Europe, and North America often take for granted, Africa's emerging cities in the 21st century are not hotspots for diseases and mass mortality, as they were in Europe during the 19th century.
Written by urgent.news from Chartbook's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
