New research by UN-HABITAT's Global Urban Observatory (GUO) shows that slums are increasing in cities around the world, especially in Asia, Africa, Latin America where insecurity of tenure is dramatically higher compared to wealthy nations in Europe and North America. In the table below, the latest estimates show the extent to which slums have increased in urban areas between the years 1993 and 2001. These figures cover Africa, Asia and Oceania, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries, and North America. For further reading see http://www.unhabitat.org/mdg/ Slum Dwellers by Major Area (Estimate) | Major Area | Urban Population 1993 ('000) | Population Living In Slums 1993 ('000) | Population Living In Slums 2001 ('000) | | Africa | 224,592 | 126,000 | 148,000 | | Asia + Oceania | 1,143,933 | 423,000 | 498,000 | | Europe | 526,926 | 21,000 | 25,000 | | LAC | 336,326 | 87,000 | 103,000 | | Northern America | 221,739 | 2,000 | 3,000 | | Total | 2,453,515 | 712,000 | 837,000 |
Source: Estimate based on Global Urban Indicators Databases 1993 and 1998 |
