Population Reports' Q&As

Meeting the Urban Challenge

Impact on the Environment

Do developing or developed countries have heavier ecological footprints?

Urban residents in the industrialized world consume much more per capita than urban residents in developing countries consume. Thus most developed-country cities have much heavier ecological footprints. At current consumption levels a typical North American city with a population of 650,000 requires about 30,000 square kilometers of land. In comparison, a similar sized city in India requires about 2,800 square kilometers (137). On average, slum dwellers in New Delhi, India, require only 0.8 hectares (2 acres) of land per capita to maintain their minimal life styles, while Americans in Boston or New York need 8.4 hectares (21 acres) of land per capita to support their consumption levels (147). Just as per capita consumption levels are much greater, the average urban resident in an industrialized country generates four to six times more waste than does the average urban resident in a developing country (132).

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