Urbanisation

• Urbanisation is the growth in the proportion of people living in urban areas
• Urbanisation is happening fastest in poorer countries
• In 2022, 54% of the world's population lives in urban areas and this is constantly increasing
• High Income Countries (HICs) like the UK and Japan have already experienced high levels of urbanisation, with around 80% of the population living in urban areas
• Low Income Countries (LICs) and Lower Middle Income Countries (LMICs) are less economically developed, with only around 30% of the population currently living in urban areas
• Newly Emerging Economies (NEEs) like Brazil and China are experiencing rapid urbanisation, with around 90% of their population living in urban areas
• Rural-urban migration


  The movement of people from the countryside to cities
• Push factors that encourage rural-urban migration

  • Lack of property and farmland
  • Lack of employment opportunities
  • Dependence on good harvests
• Pull factors that encourage rural-urban migration

  • More jobs in urban areas that are often better paid
  • Access to better healthcare and educational opportunities
  • Family members already living in urban areas
  • Perceived better quality of life
• Natural increase


  When the birth rate exceeds the death rate, causing the population to grow
• In 2000 there were 14 megacities (cities with over 10 million people), and by 2035 this is expected to increase to 48 megacities
• People usually move to cities to look for better jobs and services
• Urbanisation rates are higher in Newly Emerging Economies (NEEs) like China compared to High Income Countries (HICs) like the UK, as NEEs are starting from a lower base
• Factors causing urbanisation


  • Rural-urban migration
  • Natural increase
• Megacity

  A city with a population of over 10 million people
• Distribution of megacities 


  Mainly in asia (tokyo and shanghai)

  no megacites in oceania because there arent enough people living there