India, Nov. 19 -- Forty-five per cent of the 8.2 billion people on the planet live in cities, which is only going to increase as the world becomes increasingly urban.

In 1950, the global population stood at 2.5 billion and just 20 per cent were city dwellers. By 2050, two-thirds of global growth is projected to occur in cities and the remainder in towns.

Furthermore, "megacities" - metropolitan areas with 10 million or more inhabitants - will continue to expand while rural areas will further decline, except in sub-Saharan Africa.

'A defining force'

These are among the findings in the World Urbanization Prospects 2025: Summary of Results, published on Tuesday by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA).

It comes as co...