Urbanization
More than half the world's population now resides in cities. Urbanization in low-income countries could offer billions of people better access to jobs and health-care services and a gateway to the world economy. To reap those benefits, those nations will have to confront the looming health and environmental challenges of urban life. This section examines the ways in which health and infectious diseases shape urbanization, but also the ways in which cities will define the future of global health
Urbanization
70%
Nearly 70% of the world's population is expected to live in a city by 2050
Climate and Health: Global Problems, Local Solutions
58,000
Snakebites cause approximately 58,000 deaths per year in India
An Antivenom Plan for India
42%
42% of public housing projects were built before 1975
Obstacles to Healing Asthma
30%
Climate change fuels an increase in the share of wildfires deemed extreme, to 14% by 2030 and and 30% by 2050
Connecting the Dots Between Climate and Air Quality
6,000
An explosion in a Beirut warehouse in 2020—resulted in more than 6,000 injuries and deaths
Injuries: A Leading Killer of Youth in Lebanon
2 X
In Lebanon, children who are refugees have twice the risk of dying from a traffic injury than local children
Injuries: A Leading Killer of Youth in Lebanon
1 in 10
One in ten Americans has asthma, making the United States the worldwide leader in asthma prevalence rates
The link between poverty, housing, and asthma in the U.S.
4 Percent
In Kampala, Uganda, the city loses up to 4 percent of its economic activity due to congestion
Learning from Lagos
90%
Of future urban growth will be in Africa and Asia
Contribution of Africa and Asia to future global urban growth
2.0 B
Projected number of people living in slums by 2030
Projected number of people living in slums by 2030
Featured
Making City Diplomacy Work for Global Health
Collaborative governance among cities is expanding and should be central to global health diplomacy
Sloth Fever: Latin America's Oropouche Epidemic
Without global collaboration and action to address root causes, Oropouche fever is likely to continue spreading
Eliminating Malaria in ASEAN: Lessons From Egypt
Strategies like environmental management and cross-border collaboration would control malaria spread in ASEAN countries
Homicide Rates Near Supervised Consumption Sites: A Study from Canada
New findings debunk stereotypes around violent crime and Toronto's supervised consumption sites
Fostering Bicycle Safety for Human and Planetary Well-Being
Regular cycling improves physical and mental health, but sustainable urban planning is needed to ensure uptake
Elephant in the Room: How Humans Harm Animal Health
Science journalist Liz Kalaugher's new book exposes how humans have contributed to the spread of pathogens among animals
An Antivenom Plan for India
In 2024, India introduced the National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming
Regenerative Infrastructure, One Health, and City Diplomacy
Earth's thermodynamics can inform the application of integrative health approaches for building resilient infrastructure
Infrastructure, Cities, and Global Health Diplomacy
The interconnections of societies on an urbanizing planet require cities to network and engage more in health diplomacy
What's Driving Violence Against Health Workers in India
An attack against health-care workers is reported almost every other week
The United States Can't Arrest Its Way Out of Gun Violence
Communities, hospitals, and prosecutors can play valuable roles in curbing gun violence
Polluted Rivers Create a Public Health Crisis in Nepal
Unchecked urbanization has led to a surge of waterborne diseases among Nepal's poorest communities
Climate and Health: Global Problems, Local Solutions
For effective approaches to combat climate change, world leaders should look to cities like New York
A U.S. Response to Mosquito-Borne Disease Outbreaks
Experts explain what it would take for malaria to become endemic in the United States—and why this is unlikely
Revitalizing Road Safety Regulation in Africa
In 2021, nearly a quarter million motorists and pedestrians were killed on African roads