Journal Article
Introduction

Today two-thirds of Africa’s population live in rural areas, although this is not destined to be the case for much longer. The slow and gradual demographic transition that characterized industrialized countries was more or less complete by the end of the last century. It has been replaced by a much more rapid process of urbanization and urban growth in low- and middle-income countries in the twenty-first century. This is most notably the case in Asia and Africa, where urban populations are set to double in size between 2000 and 2030. In 1960, Africa’s urban population stood at only 15% of the total, rising to 35% in 2006.