User:Venumadhavasharma
One billion people live in slums. That's one in seven of us. Unless urgent action is taken, 1.4 billion people will live in slums by 2020.
What are slums? The United Nations characterises slums/informal settlements by one or more of the following:
Poor structural quality and durability of housing Insufficient living areas (more than three people sharing a room) Lack of secure tenure Poor access to water Lack of sanitation facilities
Facts about slums:
Today, more people live in urban areas than rural areas and city populations are growing by more than 200,000 new inhabitants each day. Cities in developing countries are expected to absorb 95 per cent of urban population growth in the next two decades, increasing the slum population by nearly 500 million between now and 2020. Cities account for some 70 per cent of global GDP and city slums are often economically vibrant; around 85 per cent of all new employment opportunities around the world occur in the informal economy.