Ghaziabad ranked Second Fastest Growing City in the World after China’s Beihai

According to a survey conducted by the City Mayors Foundation, an global think tank on urban affairs, there are 37 Indian cities among the world's 300 fastest growing urban centres. The Indian city of Ghaziabad is the second fastest growing city in the world. The general parameter used to consider the growth of a city is the rate of its urbanization.

According to the report- The Transition to a Predominantly Urban World and its Underpinnings released by International Institute for Environment and Development, eleven cities in India are amongst the 100 fastest growing cities of the world. The 11 cities in the list of 100 fastest growing cities are- Durg – Bhilai, Ghaziabad, Aurangabad, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Surat, Asansol, Dhanbad, Visakhapatnam, Faridabad. India is second to only China in this growth race.

The economic boom has been a catalyst for the fast-track development across India. India's development was observed to have shifted from the big metropolitan cities to the smaller cities where the cost of living is much lower and the quality of life far better. The boom in the small cities is evident with these cities offering better infrastructure, better work-life balance and lucrative jobs. The speedy growth in the smaller cities are attributed to education, reduction in poverty, industrialization, IT boom, and improved health services.

The Survey

The tables prepared during the survey assumed annual growth rates for cities and urban areas between 2006 and 2020. The assumptions are based on past growth/decline and forecasts by international and national statistics organisations. The reserch in this field revealed that most of the countries growing at a fast pace are the middle or low-income nations. none of the European cities feature in the list of 100 fastest growing cities. The urban population in Africa was found to exceed the urban population of North America.

Beihai in China is the fastest growing city in the world, with a population growth rate of 10.58 per cent, says the survey.

The five fastest growing cities in the world are- Beihei (China), Ghaziabad (India), Sana (Yemen), Surat (India) and Kabul (Afghanistan).