Fastest Growing Cities, from Bangalore to Kabul
The Daily Beast finds the global cities—from Bangalore to Kabul—that are projected to grow the most.
Oct. 31 is slated to be a momentous day in the world’s history, as the symbolic date that the 7 billionth person will take her first breath, according to the United Nations Population Division.
Of course we will never know for sure when or where, exactly, the 7 billionth person is born (or if she is already among the living), though some demographers have pegged the Indian province Uttar Pradesh as the most likely locale, due to the sheer number of births expected in the region this year. India is one of several countries and regions expected to experience a population explosion in the next few decades.
From 2010 to 2025 the population of Africa could increase by as much as 43.7 percent, Latin America and the Caribbean by 19.9 percent, Asia by 18.2 percent, Northern America by 16.7 percent, Oceania by 16.6 percent, and Europe by 4.4 percent. The growth will be centered in cities. Three years ago, for the first time, Earth found most of its inhabitants living in cities, and future growth will occur primarily in urban areas.
To find the fastest-growing cities around the world, The Daily Beast used population projections from the United Nations as well as GDP projections from PricewaterhouseCoopers. In other words, the cities on this list have both a burgeoning populace and emergent economies.
-Research by Clark Merrefield
Current population: 7.2 million
Estimated population, 2025: 9.5 million
Population growth by 2025: 31.7%
Current GDP: $69 billion
Estimated GDP, 2025: $209 billion
Estimated GDP growth per year, 2008–2025: 6.5%
Aijaz Rahi / AP Photo
Current population: 5.2 million
Estimated population, 2025: 8.0 million
Population growth by 2025: 53.8%
Current GDP: $35 billion
Estimated GDP, 2025: $86 billion
Estimated GDP growth per year, 2008–2025: 5.5%
Nasser Nasser / AP Photo
Current population: 6.8 million
Estimated population, 2025: 8.9 million
Population growth by 2025: 31.7%
Current GDP: $58 billion
Estimated GDP, 2025: $170 billion
Estimated GDP growth per year, 2008–2025: 6.5%
Pervez Masih / AP Photo
Current population: 5.7 million
Estimated population, 2025: 7.6 million
Population growth by 2025: 32.4%
Current GDP: $49 billion
Estimated GDP, 2025: $145 billion
Estimated GDP growth per year, 2008–2025: 6.5%
AP Photo
Current population: 3.4 million
Estimated population, 2025: 5.1 million
Population growth by 2025: 49%
Current GDP: $9 billion
Estimated GDP, 2025: $25 billion
Estimated GDP growth per year, 2008–2025: 6.2%
Current population: 5 million
Estimated population, 2025: 7.3 million
Population growth by 2025: 46.4%
Current GDP: $24 billion
Estimated GDP, 2025: $67 billion
Estimated GDP growth per year, 2008–2025: 6.3%
Getty Images
Current population: 5 million
Estimated population, 2025: 6.6 million
Population growth by 2025: 32.9%
Current GDP: $48 billion
Estimated GDP, 2025: $142 billion
Estimated GDP growth per year, 2008–2025: 6.6%
Current population: 10.6 million
Estimated population, 2025: 15.8 million
Population growth by 2025: 49.5%
Current GDP: $35 billion
Estimated GDP, 2025: $101 billion
Estimated GDP growth per year, 2008–2025: 6.4%
Lekan Oyekanmi / AP Photo
Current population: 4.8 million
Estimated population, 2025: 8.1 million
Population growth by 2025: 69.2%
Current GDP: $33 billion
Estimated GDP, 2025: $93 billion
Estimated GDP growth per year, 2008–2025: 6.3%
Rebecca Blackwell / AP Photo
Current population: 3.4 million
Estimated population, 2025: 4.5 million
Population growth by 2025: 33.8%
Current GDP: $26 billion
Estimated GDP, 2025: $76 billion
Estimated GDP growth per year, 2008–2025: 6.6%
Maneesh Agnihotri / The India Today Group / Getty Images
Current population: 8.8 million
Estimated population, 2025: 15 million
Population growth by 2025: 71.8%
Current GDP: $17 billion
Estimated GDP, 2025: $48 billion
Estimated GDP growth per year, 2008–2025: 6.3%
Current population: 3.6 million
Estimated population, 2025: 4.7 million
Population growth by 2025: 29.9%
Current GDP: $26 billion
Estimated GDP, 2025: $81 billion
Estimated GDP growth per year, 2008–2025: 6.9%
ChinaFotoPress / Getty Images
Current population: 2.9 million
Estimated population, 2025: 3.9 million
Population growth by 2025: 34.3%
Current GDP: $22 billion
Estimated GDP, 2025: $66 billion
Estimated GDP growth per year, 2008–2025: 6.6%
Rajesh Kumar Singh / AP Photo
Current population: 4.2 million
Estimated population, 2025: 5.6 million
Population growth by 2025: 33.9%
Current GDP: $36 billion
Estimated GDP, 2025: $107 billion
Estimated GDP growth per year, 2008–2025: 6.7%
Ajit Solanki / AP Photo
Current population: 3.5 million
Estimated population, 2025: 6.2 million
Population growth by 2025: 77.3%
Current GDP: $12 billion
Estimated GDP, 2025: $33 billion
Estimated GDP growth per year, 2008–2025: 6.4%
Sayyid Abdul Azim / AP Photo
Current population: 3.1 million
Estimated population, 2025: 4.2 million
Population growth by 2025: 34.3%
Current GDP: $24 billion
Estimated GDP, 2025: $71 billion
Estimated GDP growth per year, 2008–2025: 6.7%
The India Today Group / Getty Images
Current population: 3.7 million
Estimated population, 2025: 6.9 million
Population growth by 2025: 84.6%
Current GDP: $14 billion
Estimated GDP, 2025: $41 billion
Estimated GDP growth per year, 2008–2025: 6.5%
Anja Niedringhaus / AP Photo
Current population: 3.4 million
Estimated population, 2025: 6.2 million
Population growth by 2025: 85.2%
Current GDP: $8 billion
Estimated GDP, 2025: $24 billion
Estimated GDP growth per year, 2008–2025: 6.5%
Yasuyoshi Chiba / Getty Images
Current population: 6.2 million
Estimated population, 2025: 9 million
Population growth by 2025: 45.2%
Current GDP: $58 billion
Estimated GDP, 2025: $181 billion
Estimated GDP growth per year, 2008–2025: 7.0%
Hoang Dinh Nam / Getty Images
Current population: 2.9 million
Estimated population, 2025: 4.8 million
Population growth by 2025: 62.4%
Current GDP: $12 billion
Estimated GDP, 2025: $37 billion
Estimated GDP growth per year, 2008–2025: 6.8%
Elias Asmare / AP Photo
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