Increasing Urban Populations May Lead to More Slums and Health Issues

The world's urban population is expected to grow by 2.6 billion people between 2011 and 2050, bringing the total number of urbanites to 6.3 billion, according to new research conducted by the Worldwatch Institute for its Vital Signs Online service. This urban expansion will be especially burdensome for developing countries, where 82 percent of the world's population currently lives, writes report author Grant Potter. Although the developing world is less urbanized than the industrial world in relative terms, developing countries are home to an estimated 1.54 billion more people.