More than 1 billion people globally reside in overcrowded urban slums, where they live a precarious existence, struggling to access basic amenities such as adequate housing, water, sanitation, power and waste collection, said the United Nations’ agency for urban development, U.N.-Habitat. This figure is projected to reach 3 billion people by 2050 — as populations grow and more people migrate to cities in search of better opportunities — presenting a major challenge for many governments across the world.
U.N.-Habitat forecasts that 50% of this growth in slum populations will be concentrated in eight countries: Nigeria, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Tanzania, India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt and Pakistan. More than half of the world’s population lives in cities and towns. That population is going to increase to 70% by 2050. So, tackling urban poverty and inequality is more urgent than ever before.
U.N.-Habitat officials said that while lack of housing was previously seen as a problem faced by developing countries, it had become a global crisis with many rich countries such as the United States, Britain and Germany all facing shortages.
Data from the the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development shows that costs of housing have risen faster than earnings and inflation in many member states in recent years. Kenyan President William Ruto, who came to power last year, has made affordable housing a centerpiece of his government’s development agenda and announced plans to construct 250,000 houses annually for low income-earners, including those in informal settlements like Kibera.
