Urbanisation is the process by which an increasing percentage of a country's population comes to live in towns and cities. Rapid urbanisation is a feature of many LICs (low income countries) and NEEs (newly emerging economies).
The urban population in 2014 accounted for 54% of the total global population, up from 34% in 1960, and continues to grow.
The Global Pattern of Urban Change
The proportion of people currently living in urban areas and the rates of urbanisation differ between continents and between HICs and LICs.
Low Income Countries (LICs)
LICs (poorer countries) tend to have a lower proportion of people living in urban areas, with the majority of people living in rural areas. For example, in Bangladesh only 25% of people live in towns and cities.
However, the highest rates of urbanisation are in poorer, low-income countries (LICs) in Asia and Africa. This is because:
The majority of their population currently live in rural areas.
There are high rates of rural to urban migration, as people move to urban areas in search of higher paid jobs and better services such as education and healthcare.
High Income Countries (HICs)
HICs (richer countries) tend to have a high proportion of people living in urban areas. For example, in the UK 82% of the population already live in towns and cities.
There are lower rates of urbanisation in richer, high-income countries (HICs) in Europe, North America and Oceania. This is because:
HICs were the first to urbanise, and generally have the largest proportion of their population already living in towns and cities.
The agricultural and industrial revolutions (in the 18th and 19th centuries) meant that people changed from working on farms to working in factories, to do this they needed to move to the cities.
Some cities in HICs have become overcrowded and some people are choosing to move away from urban areas to quieter rural areas.
In some HICs, inner city industries collapsed leading to high unemployment. People wanting a better quality of life decided to leave urban areas in search of a quieter and cleaner environment.
It has become easier in HICs for people to commute to work and for people to work from home in rural areas using internet/email technology.
Summary video
The below video uses the terms MEDC and LEDC. MEDC means the same as HIC (high income country) and LEDC means the same as LIC (low income country).