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The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs has announced that nearly half of the world's population will be urban dwellers by the end of this year, and by 2050, 70% of the world's population will be living in cities.

According to this forecast, the world's population has reached 6.7 billion last year, and it will increase to a figure of 9.2 billion by the year of 2050; meanwhile, urbanization will continue at a rapid pace, likely resulting in an increase in the urban population from 3.3 billion to 6.4 billion. This means that cities will be absorbing the increase in population that has taken place over the next 40 years. At the same time, population in the rural area has begun to decrease, and it is projected to decrease by 600 million by the year 2050.

In Asia and in African Nations, majority of the people still live in rural areas; only about 40% of the population live in the urban areas as of 2007. But this number is expected to significantly increase over the next few decades.

It is the very first time in human history that half of the world’s population will be living in cities. In response to such rapid population growth, cities must rush to make improvements in its infrastructure.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN2635607520080227