Africa’s explosive growth in cities | FT #shorts

Today nearly three-quarters of Africans live in either an urban or semiurban setting, according to new UN methodology that applies a consistent global definition. Some 42% live in cities. There are 88 African cities with more than 1mn people, according to the UN, 17 in Nigeria alone.⁠ ⁠ In 1950, there were 228mn people living in Africa, with about 33mn in cities. Today there are 1.6bn Africans, 19% of the world’s total, of whom 670mn live in cities. Almost unnoticed, Africa has become an urban story, explains the FT's David Pilling. ⁠ ► Enjoying FT content? Get a daily slice of the very best FT journalism with FT Edit. Free for 30 days then j (Source: Financial Times | Region: Lagos, Nigeria)