The Components of Urban Growth in Developing Countries

The last few decades witnessed high growth rates of urban populations in many developing countries. The present report analyzes the components of urban growth in a large number of developing countries from a comparative perspective. More specifically, it aims to present country-specific estimates of the components of urban growth of developing countries and compare and contrast the country findings in order to help understand the processes related to changing patterns of urban growth in developing countries Data that allow direct estimates of the components of urban growth remain still limited in many developing countries. In this report, using the census survival ratio method, estimates of the components of urban growth are made for the three decades of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Estimates are also made of age and sex specific net migration rates for urban-rural populations. This publication is being issued by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat. Acknowledgement is due to Philip Guest for working with the Population Division in the preparation of this report.