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End-of-the-century thoughts: which will be the most populous cities in the world in 2100
Humanity is rapidly expanding and conquering virtually every single corner of the globe. Specifically, our cities are becoming veritable megacities, destined to accommodate more and more people in the near future.
Research published by Daniel Hoornweg and Kevin Pope in 2016 predicted which will be the 10 most populous cities in the world in 2100, i.e. at the end of the century. Surprisingly, the list did not include a single European or North American city.
The data on the currently most populous cities were updated to those reported by the UN in 2021, and again, not a single European or North American city. The trend is therefore clear, the future will be shifted between Asia and Africa in the near future, with Western society set to lose its political hegemony.
End-of-the-century thoughts: which will be the most populous cities in the world in 2100
Humanity is rapidly expanding and conquering virtually every single corner of the globe. Specifically, our cities are becoming veritable megacities, destined to accommodate more and more people in the near future. Research published by Daniel Hoornweg and Kevin Pope in 2016 predicted which will be the 10 most populous cities in the world in 2100, i.e. at the end of the century. Surprisingly, the list did not include a single European or North American city. The data on the currently most populous cities were updated to those reported by the UN in 2021, and again, not a single European or North American city. The trend then is clear, the future will be shifted between Asia and Africa in the near future, with Western society set to lose its political hegemony.
Di Morio - Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5794297
Tokyo (Japan)
According to 2021 UN data, Tokyo is currently the most populous metropolitan city in the world with 37.3 million people. The Japanese city, on the list of the world's 10 most populous cities in 2100, is not present.
By Igor Ovsyannykov igorovsyannykov - https://unsplash.com/photos/BFeZCHFpm2IImageGallery, CC0, http
New Delhi (India)
The Indian city is the second most populous in the world with 31.1 million inhabitants. An overcrowded place like almost every city in India, its population is set to keep growing over the course of the century, and it will still be one of the most populated, although no longer in the top-3.
Di Adi Constantin - https://unsplash.com/photos/C8Z5DvtWQMw, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/in
Shanghai (China)
Shanghai currently ranks third on the list of cities with the most inhabitants, an impressive 27.8 million. However, like Tokyo, it does not appear on the list of the 10 most crowded in 2100, highlighting a trend that will see China's population growth decline in the coming years.
Di Francisco Anzola edit by Rodrigo Tetsuo Argenton - Imported from 500px (archived version) by the
Sao Paulo (Brazil)
Off the podium of the most populous in 2021 according to UN data are Sao Paulo, in fourth place with 22.2 million inhabitants, Dhaka (Bangladesh), Mexico City, Cairo, Beijing, Mumbai and Osaka. From the data, which is useful to understand the general trend, one can see a total Asian hegemony at the moment, with India, China and Japan leading the way. While India will maintain its supremacy, and even increase its number of inhabitants, this trend is not observed in the other two countries.
Lagos (Nigeria)
What one notices instead, looking at the research by Daniel Hoornweg and Kevin Pop, entitled 'Population predictions for the world's largest cities in the 21st century', is a huge growth of African cities. In fact, according to the research, it will be Lagos in Nigeria that will be the most populous city in 2100. The number of inhabitants is estimated to be around 88.3 million.
Di MONUSCO/Myriam Asmani, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32468846
Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Staying in Africa, we find the second city with the most people in 2100, namely the metropolis of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa, with 83.5 million people.
Di Muhammad Mahdi Karim - Opera propria, GFDL 1.2, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6
Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania)
The third most populous city in the world according to the study will also be located in Africa. Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, will have as many as 73.7 million inhabitants. It is hard to say how connected the growth of the city concentration is to the growth of the continent in general. Undoubtedly, however, they will become increasingly important places of influence in the world economy and society.
Di A.Savin - Opera propria, FAL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47965693
Mumbai (India)
Mumbai is the first city we find in both rankings. Already the figures for 2021 show that it is one of the largest and most densely populated cities in the world (20.7 million to date), but by 2100, estimates say it will reach 67.2 million, tripling its population. This growth is also seen in another Indian city, New Delhi, which is estimated to have 57.3 million.
Di DasAritra - Opera propria, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50100735
Calcutta (India)
Given current trends, it is not surprising that a metropolis like Calcutta is also on the list of what will be the megacities of the future. This place will reach 52.4 million people. The Indian population is already heavily concentrated in the cities, which are already quite overcrowded, but the trend is set to continue. An improvement in infrastructure and hygienic conditions will certainly be necessary, but this is a reasoning that applies to almost all the countries and cities mentioned.
Di ASaber91 - Dhaka 14th March, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63107324
Dhaka (Bangladesh)
Concluding the list, it is noticeable that the most populated region of the world in 2100 will be South-East Asia. Dhaka, Bangladesh, will have 54.2 million people. Other cities on this list are Niamey (Niger, 65.2 million people), Khartoum (Sudan, 56.6 million), and Kabul (Afghanistan, 50.3 million people)
From the Road
18/06/2024
Prisons are one of the sad institutions on which, unfortunately, modern society is based. Removing individuals who are dangerous to the community, and enclosing them all together in one place for the purpose of surveillance and re-education, is one of the ways our ancestors found to ensure the safety of the population.
They remain places, albeit atrocious, that are nonetheless fascinating because of the peculiarity of their rules, the micro-world they inhabit, and also because of the many fictional works, films, books and many others, that have prisons as their main setting.
But which are the most famous prisons in the world? Among the largest, the most luxurious and the bloodiest, one can really find all possible and imaginable types.
Natural Events
08/06/2024
A meteorite crater (also called astroblem, impact crater or basin) is a circular-shaped depression formed by the impact of a meteorite, asteroid, and in general a celestial body, on the surface of a planet.
Evidence of many of these craters, which have impacted our planet over geological eras, can be found on planet Earth. One of the most famous, for example, is the one believed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs (called the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction).
Some of these craters can be found underground today, or at least the traces they left behind. Others have become beautiful lakes, others are still desolate and remote places today. But which are the largest in the world by diameter?
Home page
07/06/2024
We are all realising that our way of life, the one our parents, who were born and raised especially after the Second World War, taught us, is no longer sustainable. There are too many of us in this world now, and nature can no longer provide us with everything we need.
Capitalism, or consumerism for short, is forcing us to submit to environmentally worn-out logics that would not be sustainable even in the long run, but are even less so in the short time we have left before everything falls apart. Our way of life must change radically if we are to allow the survival of mankind. For example, the introduction of the law in Europe allowing the sale of insect meal aims at exactly that, at sustainability.
Therefore, it is necessary for all of us, while there is still time, to change certain behaviours to help the world. Here, then, are some tips for leading a greener and more sustainable life.
From the Road
06/06/2024
According to theMain Streets Across the World 2022report, which analyzes the main shopping areas of 92 cities around the world, New York Fifth Avenue is the most expensive route in the world followed by Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui. Post pandemic, the most expensive street in Hong Kong loses the top of the ranking and records the worst drop ever, -41%.
In detail, with an average annual fee of 14,547 euros per square meter, the Via Montenapoleone in Milan ranks ahead of New Bond Street in London and Avenue des Champs Élysées in Paris, respectively in fourth and fifth place in the global ranking of the most expensive streets in the world.
Via Montenapoleone in Milan, has earned the title of the most expensive shopping street in Europe and the third overall worldwide, with a jump of two positions compared to the last research of 2019.