NEW DELHI: India's future lives in the cities. A report released by the United Nations has said that the world's second largest populous country in the world will add nearly 500 million people to its already congested cities by 2050. The ‘2011 revision of world urbanization prospects' report released by the global body, also says that other countries which will rapidly switch from the rural to urban hubs are China, Nigeria, USA, Indonesia, etc. According to the report, last year nearly three fourths of the world's3.6 billion urban population was housed in 25 countries, out of which China, USA and India accounted for about 37 percent. The report also says that India and China will bear the maximum thrust of the global urban shift with both the countries together likely to account for 75 percent of the urban switch by 2030 at 218 million and 276 million respectively. By 2025, the population of Tokyo, which has been projected to remain one of the world's most populous urban centers, is however expected to remain stagnant at nearly 40 million. The urban population growth is also expected to throw logistical challenges like employment, housing, management of slums, sanitation and creating urban infrastructure for local governments, the report states.
