Delhi may become world's most populous city by 2028: UN report

According to a United Nations report, Delhi will soon become the most populous city in the world in the next decade. The report further added that India is likely to add the largest number of urban dwellers by 2050. 

"By 2020, Tokyo's population is projected to begin to decline, while Delhi is projected to continue growing and to become the most populous city in the world around 2028," the report stated.

India has the largest rural population in the world (893 million), followed by China at 578 million.

UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs' (UN DESA) Population Division released a report titled 'The 2018 Revision of World Urbanisation Prospects' today. According to the report, 68 per cent of world's population is estimated to dwell in urban areas by 2050 as opposed to 55 per cent at present.

The report stated that India, China and Nigeria together will account for 35 per cent of the projected growth of the world's urban population between 2018 and 2050.

By 2050, India is projected to have added 416 million urban dwellers, China 255 million and Nigeria 189 million.

At present Tokyo leads as the largest city with an agglomeration of 37 million inhabitants, New Delhi closely follows with 29 million, followed by Shanghai with 26 million. Cairo, Mumbai, Beijing and Dhaka all have close to 20 million inhabitants. 

The global urban population has grown rapidly from 751 million in 1950 to 4.2 billion in 2018. Asia, despite its relatively lower level of urbanization, is home to 54 per cent of the world's urban population, followed by Europe and Africa with 13 per cent each. 

Some of the most urbanized regions in the world include Northern America (with 82 per cent of its population living in urban areas in 2018), Latin America and the Caribbean (81 per cent), Europe (74 per cent) and Oceania (68 per cent). 

Globally, fewer cities are projected to see a decline in populations until 2030, said the report.

(With inputs from PTI)