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Slum dwellers in developing countries may be worse off than in rural areas
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| People living in towns and cities are not necessarily healthier and more prosperous than those living in rural areas… Here, a homeless family sleeping on the sidewalk in New Delhi, India. (Photo copyright 2000 Alfredo L. Fort, Courtesy of Photoshare) |
As the world’s urban population is set to exceed rural dwellers for the first time next year, a study issued recently by the United Nations shows that poor people living in urban areas are as badly off if not worse than their rural cousins, contradicting general assumptions that people living in towns and cities are healthier and more prosperous.
“This report provides concrete evidence that there are two cities within one city – one part of the urban population that has all the benefits of urban living, and the other part, the slums and squatter settlements, where the poor often live under worse conditions than their rural relatives”, said Ms. Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UN-HABITAT that produced the State of the World’s Cities Report 2006-2007.
The report shows remarkable similarities between slums and rural areas in health, education, employment and mortality, the Agency said in a news release, adding that it also shows how in countries such as Bangladesh and India for example, child malnutrition in slums is comparable to that of rural areas.
The report also debunks some commonly-held beliefs about people living in slums, including the fact that contrary to popular perception, young adults living in slums are more likely to have a child, be married or head of household than their counterparts living in non-slum areas.
The findings come at a time when the world is entering an “historic urban transition”, the Agency says, noting that in 2007 for the first time in history, the world’s urban population will exceed the rural population.
According to the World Urbanization Prospects, 2003 Revision released by the United Nations Population Division indeed, current projections indicate that the fifty per cent mark will be crossed in 2007. Asia however will remain predominantly rural till around 2025, according to this publication.
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