
SummaryofResults DepartmentofEconomicandSocialAffairsPopulationDivision WorldUrbanizationProspects2025 SummaryofResults UnitedNationsDepartmentofEconomicandSocialAffairs,PopulationDivision TheDepartmentofEconomicandSocialAffairsoftheUnitedNationsSecretariatisavitalinterfacebetweenglobalpoliciesintheeconomic,socialandenvironmentalspheresandnationalaction.TheDepartmentworksinthreemaininterlinkedareas:(i)itcompiles,generatesandanalysesawiderangeofeconomic,socialandenvironmentaldataandinformationonwhichStatesMembersoftheUnitedNationsdrawtoreviewcommonproblemsandtakestockofpolicyoptions;(ii)itfacilitatesthenegotiationsofMemberStatesinmanyintergovernmentalbodiesonjointcoursesofactiontoaddressongoingoremergingglobalchallenges;and(iii)itadvisesinterestedGovernmentsonthewaysandmeansoftranslatingpolicyframeworksdevelopedinUnitedNationsconferencesandsummitsintoprogrammesatthecountryleveland,throughtechnicalassistance,helpsbuildnationalcapacities. ThePopulationDivisionoftheDepartmentofEconomicandSocialAffairsprovidestheinternationalcommunitywithtimelyandaccessiblepopulationdataandanalysisofpopulationtrendsanddevelopmentoutcomesforallcountriesandareasoftheworld.Tothisend,theDivisionundertakesregularstudiesofpopulationsizeandcharacteristicsandofallthreecomponentsofpopulationchange(fertility,mortalityandmigration).Foundedin1946,thePopulationDivisionprovidessubstantivesupportonpopulationanddevelopmentissuestotheUnitedNationsGeneralAssembly,theEconomicandSocialCouncilandtheCommissiononPopulationandDevelopment.ItalsoleadsorparticipatesinvariousinteragencycoordinationmechanismsoftheUnitedNationssystem.TheworkoftheDivisionalsocontributestostrengtheningthecapacityofMemberStatestomonitorpopulationtrendsandtoaddresscurrentandemergingpopulationissues. Suggestedcitation UnitedNations(2025).WorldUrbanizationProspects2025:SummaryofResults.UNDESA/POP/2025/TR/NO.12.NewYork:UnitedNations. ThisreportisavailableinelectronicformatontheDivision’swebsiteatpopulation.un.org.Forfurtherinformationaboutthisreport,pleasecontacttheOfficeoftheDirector,PopulationDivision,DepartmentofEconomicandSocialAffairs,UnitedNations,NewYork,10017,USA,byFax:12129632147orbyemailatpopulation@un.org. Copyrightinformation Frontcover:(fromtop)“AvillageinToblach,Trentino-Südtirol,Italy”,Pexels/JoergHartmann;“AnaerialviewofVoitowninTaita,TavetaCounty,Kenya,2022”,UN-Habitat/JuliusMwelu;“Aerialviewofthecitybuildingsunderbluesky,Jakarta,Indonesia”,Pexels/TomFisk. Backcover:“CityaerialviewofBrisbaneAustralia”.Pexels/Pixabay. UnitedNationsPublication SalesNo.:E.25.XIII.6ISBN:9789211544589eISBN:9789211576788Copyright©UnitedNations,2025. FiguresandtablesinthispublicationcanbereproducedwithoutpriorpermissionunderaCreativeCommonslicense(CCBY3.0IGO),http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/. Contents Acknowledgements.........................................................................................................IVListofabbreviations....................................................................................................VIIIKeymessages.................................................................................................................IXIntroduction......................................................................................................................1ChapterI.Theurbantransformation:aglobalshiftinhowwelive.....................................5ChapterII.Theworld’scities...........................................................................................23ChapterIII.Built-upareapercapitaandpopulationdensity.............................................35ChapterIV.NationaldefinitionsandDegreeofUrbanizationcompared............................43Discussionandpolicyimplications..................................................................................59References.....................................................................................................................65Glossary70Annex1:What’snewinWUP2025?................................................................................73Annex2:Theanatomyof“urban”:hownationalcriteriashapeurbanizationstatistics.....76Annex3:NationalapplicationoftheDegreeofUrbanization:tools,data,capacityandimplementationstatus......................................................................................79Annex4:Selectedindicators...........................................................................................80 Acknowledgements ThisreportwaspreparedbyateamledbyPatrickGerlandincludingSaraHertog,LubovZeifmanandGuangyuZhangwithcontributionsfromDongChengandJunchiLiu.LewisDijkstra,MicheleMelchiorriandMarcelloSchiavinafromtheJointResearchCentreoftheEuropeanCommissionoftheEuropeanUnionalsocontributedtothereport. TheauthorswishtothankJohnWilmoth,CherylSawyer,KarolineSchmidandStephenKisambiraforreviewingthedraft. TheWorldUrbanizationProspects2025datawerepreparedbyateamledbyPatrickGerland,includingLubovZeifman,YuqianHuang,MengyingZhang,DongCheng,JunchiLiu,Ka