Urbanization
Mapped: The World’s Next Megacities by 2030
What is a Megacity?
In 1800, less than 10% of people lived in urban areas. Today, more than 4.3 billion people or 55% of the world’s population live in urban settings.
Mass migration from rural areas to urban centers gives rise to megacities—cities housing more than 10 million people, which are often the centers of economic activity in a given country. New York and Tokyo were the first to be recognized as megacities in the 1950s. Today, there are 32 megacities across the globe, and this number is set to grow.
The above graphic uses data from UN World Urbanization Prospects (2018) to map cities that are projected to turn into megacities by 2030.
The World’s Next Megacities
In most high-income countries including the U.S., Canada, Japan, Australia, and those in the Middle East, over 80% of the population live in urban areas. By contrast, in many low-income countries, the majority still live in rural settings, and the potential for urbanization remains high.
Therefore, many of the up-and-coming megacities are in developing countries.
City | Country | 2022 Population | 2030P Population | % Increase From 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Seoul | South Korea 🇰🇷 | 9,975,709 | 10,163,000 | 1.90% |
London | UK 🇬🇧 | 9,540,576 | 10,228,000 | 7.20% |
Chengdu | China 🇨🇳 | 9,478,521 | 10,728,000 | 13.20% |
Nanjing | China 🇨🇳 | 9,429,381 | 11,011,000 | 16.80% |
Tehran | Iran 🇮🇷 | 9,381,546 | 10,240,000 | 9.20% |
Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam 🇻🇳 | 9,077,158 | 11,054,000 | 21.80% |
Luanda | Angola 🇦🇴 | 8,952,496 | 12,129,000 | 35.50% |
Ahmedabad | India 🇮🇳 | 8,450,228 | 10,148,000 | 20.10% |
Dar es Salaam | Tanzania 🇹🇿 | 7,404,689 | 10,789,000 | 45.70% |
The fastest-growing cities—Dar es Salaam and Luanda—are both in Sub-Saharan Africa. Luanda is the capital city of Angola and among the 10 wealthiest cities in Africa. Dar es Salaam is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania, and by 2100, it’s projected to be the third-most populous city globally.
Furthermore, five of the nine projected megacities are located in Asia.
Chengdu, located in Southwestern China, has been an attractive destination for foreign investment. As of 2020, 305 of the world’s 500 largest companies had operations in the city. Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is the fastest-growing Asian city on the list. In 2019, HCMC accounted for roughly 23% of Vietnam’s gross domestic product (GDP), highlighting its position as the main commercial hub.
Upon comparing the per capita GDPs of the countries listed above, London and Seoul are the two outliers, located in the wealthiest countries.
Country | GDP per capita (2020, current US$) |
---|---|
UK 🇬🇧 | $41,059.2 |
South Korea 🇰🇷 | $31,631.5 |
China 🇨🇳 | $10,434.8 |
Vietnam 🇻🇳 | $2,785.7 |
Iran 🇮🇷 | $2,422.5 |
India 🇮🇳 | $1,927.7 |
Angola 🇦🇴 | $1,776.2 |
Tanzania 🇹🇿 | $1,076.5 |
Source: World Bank
Both South Korea and the UK have a higher GDP per capita than the rest of the countries combined, and more than 80% of their population live in urban areas. Therefore, it’s unsurprising that Seoul and London have the lowest growth rates among projected megacities. By contrast, cities in Angola and Tanzania—the two lowest-income countries—are projected to grow by over 35% from 2022 to 2030.
The Urbanization Megatrend
The global urban population has been climbing for decades, while the rural population has started stagnating.
In 2007, the number of people living in urban areas eclipsed that of rural areas, and the gap is expected to widen. The UN projects that by 2050, 68% of the world will live in urban areas. Only a few countries are expected to have more people living in rural areas than urban settings, mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
Where will the new megacities beyond 2030 be?
Urbanization
Visualizing U.S. Consumption of Fuel and Materials per Capita
Wealthy countries consume large amounts of natural resources per capita, and the U.S. is no exception. See how much is used per person.

Visualizing U.S. Consumption of Fuel and Materials per Capita
Wealthy countries consume massive amounts of natural resources per capita, and Americans are no exception.
According to data from the National Mining Association, each American needs more than 39,000 pounds (17,700 kg) of minerals and fossil fuels annually to maintain their standard of living.
Materials We Need to Build
Every building around us and every sidewalk we walk on is made of sand, steel, and cement.
As a result, these materials lead consumption per capita in the United States. On average, each person in America drives the demand of over 10,000 lbs of stone and around 7,000 lbs of sand and gravel per year.
Material/Fossil Fuel | Pounds Per Person |
---|---|
Stone | 10,643 |
Natural Gas | 9,456 |
Sand, Gravel | 7,088 |
Petroleum Products | 6,527 |
Coal | 3,290 |
Cement | 724 |
Other Nonmetals | 569 |
Salt | 359 |
Iron Ore | 239 |
Phosphate Rock | 166 |
Sulfur | 66 |
Potash | 49 |
Soda Ash | 36 |
Bauxite (Aluminum) | 24 |
Other Metals | 21 |
Copper | 13 |
Lead | 11 |
Zinc | 6 |
Manganese | 4 |
Total | 39,291 |
The construction industry is a major contributor to the U.S. economy.
Crushed stone, sand, gravel, and other construction aggregates represent half of the industrial minerals produced in the country, resulting in $29 billion in revenue per year.
Also on the list are crucial hard metals such as copper, aluminum, iron ore, and of course many rarer metals used in smaller quantities each year. These rarer metals can make a big economic difference even when their uses are more concentrated and isolated—for example, palladium (primarily used in catalytic converters) costs $54 million per tonne.
Fuels Powering our Lives
Despite ongoing efforts to fight climate change and reduce carbon emissions, each person in the U.S. uses over 19,000 lbs of fossil fuels per year.
Gasoline is the most consumed petroleum product in the United States.
In 2021, finished motor gasoline consumption averaged about 369 million gallons per day, equal to about 44% of total U.S. petroleum use. Distillate fuel oil (20%), hydrocarbon gas liquids (17%), and jet fuel (7%) were the next most important uses.
Reliance on Other Countries
Over the past three decades, the United States has become reliant on foreign sources to meet domestic demand for minerals and fossil fuels. Today, the country is 100% import-reliant for 17 mineral commodities and at least 50% for 30 others.
In order to reduce the dependency on other countries, namely China, the Biden administration has been working to diversify supply chains in critical minerals. This includes strengthening alliances with other countries such as Australia, India, and Japan.
However, questions still remain about how soon these policies can make an impact, and the degree to which they can ultimately help localize and diversify supply chains.
Electrification
Visualizing the World’s Largest Copper Producers
Many new technologies critical to the energy transition rely on copper. Here are the world’s largest copper producers.

Visualizing the World’s Largest Copper Producers
Man has relied on copper since prehistoric times. It is a major industrial metal with many applications due to its high ductility, malleability, and electrical conductivity.
Many new technologies critical to fighting climate change, like solar panels and wind turbines, rely on the red metal.
But where does the copper we use come from? Using the U.S. Geological Survey’s data, the above infographic lists the world’s largest copper producing countries in 2021.
The Countries Producing the World’s Copper
Many everyday products depend on minerals, including mobile phones, laptops, homes, and automobiles. Incredibly, every American requires 12 pounds of copper each year to maintain their standard of living.
North, South, and Central America dominate copper production, as these regions collectively host 15 of the 20 largest copper mines.
Chile is the top copper producer in the world, with 27% of global copper production. In addition, the country is home to the two largest mines in the world, Escondida and Collahuasi.
Chile is followed by another South American country, Peru, responsible for 10% of global production.
Rank | Country | 2021E Copper Production (Million tonnes) | Share |
---|---|---|---|
#1 | 🇨🇱 Chile | 5.6 | 27% |
#2 | 🇵🇪 Peru | 2.2 | 10% |
#3 | 🇨🇳 China | 1.8 | 8% |
#4 | 🇨🇩 DRC | 1.8 | 8% |
#5 | 🇺🇸 United States | 1.2 | 6% |
#6 | 🇦🇺 Australia | 0.9 | 4% |
#7 | 🇷🇺 Russia | 0.8 | 4% |
#8 | 🇿🇲 Zambia | 0.8 | 4% |
#9 | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 0.8 | 4% |
#10 | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 0.7 | 3% |
#11 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 0.6 | 3% |
#12 | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | 0.5 | 2% |
#13 | 🇵🇱 Poland | 0.4 | 2% |
🌍 Other countries | 2.8 | 13% | |
🌐 World total | 21.0 | 100% |
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and China share third place, with 8% of global production each. Along with being a top producer, China also consumes 54% of the world’s refined copper.
Copper’s Role in the Green Economy
Technologies critical to the energy transition, such as EVs, batteries, solar panels, and wind turbines require much more copper than conventional fossil fuel based counterparts.
For example, copper usage in EVs is up to four times more than in conventional cars. According to the Copper Alliance, renewable energy systems can require up to 12x more copper compared to traditional energy systems.
Technology | 2020 Installed Capacity (megawatts) | Copper Content (2020, tonnes) | 2050p Installed Capacity (megawatts) | Copper Content (2050p, tonnes) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Solar PV | 126,735 MW | 633,675 | 372,000 MW | 1,860,000 |
Onshore Wind | 105,015 MW | 451,565 | 202,000 MW | 868,600 |
Offshore Wind | 6,013 MW | 57,725 | 45,000 MW | 432,000 |
With these technologies’ rapid and large-scale deployment, copper demand from the energy transition is expected to increase by nearly 600% by 2030.
As the transition to renewable energy and electrification speeds up, so will the pressure for more copper mines to come online.
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