Table : TABLE 33.1 Urban Population as a Percentage of Total Population in the World and in Eight Major Areas, 1925–2025
Area19251950197520002025 (est.)
World Total21%28%39%50%63%
North America5464778693
Europe4855677988
Soviet Union1839617687
East Asia1015304663
Latin America2541607485
Africa813243754

Note: Little more than one-fifth of the world’s population was urban in 1925. In 2000 the total urban proportion in the world was about 50 percent. According to United Nations experts, the proportion should reach two-thirds by about 2025. The most rapid urban growth will occur in Africa and Asia, where the move to cities is still in its early stages.