Africas’ megacities will lead global population growth between 2017 to 2030, reflecting their potential for hospitality and tourism development as the last major continent to undergo urbanisation.
According to the global market research company, Euromonitor International‘s new report, “Megacities: Developing Country Domination,” Africa will account for the largest absolute rise in megacities over the period, adding Dar es Salaam and Luanda to the region’s current megacities of Cairo and Lagos.
The Future Megacities
While seven of the 10 largest megacities are set to be in the Asia Pacific in 2030, the African region, experiencing growing urbanization, will account for the largest rise in megacities between 2017 to 2030. Six new megacities will emerge globally over this period.
Demographics: Developed Cities Lag In Population Growth
The report indicates that Jakarta will overtake Tokyo as the most populated megacity in the world by 2030. This will mark a new era in urban history, as Jakarta will be the first emerging city to hold the title of world’s largest megacity with 35.6 million inhabitants in 2030. Tokyo will lose the spot it had since the 1950s with a decrease of 2 million people, as an outcome of the ageing phenomenon observed in developed regions.
“Several other East-Asian cities are also affected by the ageing trend. Seoul will add 2.5 million inhabitants aged over 65 years between 2017-2030, followed by Shanghai with 2.2 million and Beijing – 1.8 million” says Fransua Vytautas Razvadauskas, senior city analyst at Euromonitor International.
Euromonitor International’s data show that 15% of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to come from megacities, as 60% of the world population will become urban by 2030. “Despite changes in the megacities landscape, key consumer markets of the future will still be located in developed megacities, guarantying higher incomes paired with more advanced housing, health care, and transportation infrastructures. Total disposable income of a developed megacity will be around five times larger than an emerging megacity in 2030,” Razvadauskas concludes.
To learn more about global trends impacting megacities, download Euromonitor International’s report ‘Megacities: Developing Country Domination’ report.
