14 Asia Cities Over 10 Million People Predicted by 2000

Asia’s urban population is expected to increase dramatically and the continent will have 14 cities with populations of more than 10 million by the year 2000, a U.N. report said Wednesday.

Between 1985 and 2000, the urban population of Asia will increase more than 300% over the rural population, according to a report by the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

Among mega-cities will be Bangkok, Beijing, Tehran, New Delhi, Manila-Quezon City, Jakarta, Indonesia, and Osaka-Kobe, Japan, the statement said. Those will be in addition to Tokyo-Yokohama, Shanghai, Calcutta, Seoul and greater Bombay, which already have populations exceeding 10 million.

The report said Tokyo-Yokohama is expected to be the most populous Asian city by 2000 with 20.2 million residents, followed by Calcutta with 16.5 million and Bombay with 16 million.

City dwellers are better off, it said. “While urban infrastructure and services are severely burdened . . . on average urban residents have high household income, better access to electricity, water and waste disposal, and have better health conditions, medical facilities and schools than do rural residents.”