Editing Developing country (section)

===Urban slums===
{{Main|Slum}}
According to [[United Nations Human Settlements Programme|UN-Habitat]], around 33% of the urban population in the developing world in 2012, or about 863 million people, lived in [[slum]]s.<ref name="UNHABITATswcr1213">{{cite web|title=State of the World's Cities Report 2012/2013: Prosperity of Cities|publisher=UNHABITAT|url=http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/745habitat.pdf|access-date=4 October 2013|archive-date=4 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004233458/http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/745habitat.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2012, the proportion of urban population living in slums was highest in Sub-Saharan Africa (62%), followed by South Asia (35%), Southeast Asia (31%) and East Asia (28%).<ref name="UNHABITATswcr1213" />{{rp|127}}

The UN-Habitat reports that 43% of urban population in developing countries and 78% of those in the least developed countries live in slums.<ref name=grhs2003>[http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/grhs.2003.key.pdf The challenge of slums – Global report on Human Settlements] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055009/http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/grhs.2003.key.pdf |date=21 September 2013 }}, United Nations Habitat (2003)</ref>

Slums form and grow in different parts of the world for many reasons. Causes include rapid [[Urbanization|rural-to-urban migration]], [[economic stagnation]] and depression, high [[unemployment]], poverty, [[Informal sector|informal economy]], forced or manipulated [[ghetto]]ization, poor planning, politics, natural disasters and [[social conflict]]s.<ref name=whyslums>{{cite web |url=http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/4625_51419_GC%2021%20What%20are%20slums.pdf | title =What are slums and why do they exist? | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206143558/http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/4625_51419_GC%2021%20What%20are%20slums.pdf | archive-date = 6 February 2011 | publisher = UN-Habitat | location = Kenya | date = April 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last1 = Patton | first1 = Carl V. | name-list-style = vanc | title = Spontaneous Shelter: International Perspectives and Prospects | date=1988 |publisher=Temple University Press |location=Philadelphia |isbn=978-0-87722-507-2 }}{{pn|date=May 2025}}</ref><ref name=grhs2011>{{cite web |url=http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/GRHS.2003.2.pdf | title = Assessing Slums in the Development Context | publisher = United Nations Habitat Group | year = 2011 | access-date = 16 September 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140105025237/http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/GRHS.2003.2.pdf | archive-date = 5 January 2014 | url-status = dead | df = dmy-all }}</ref> For example, as populations expand in poorer countries, rural people move to cities in extensive urban migration that results in the creation of slums.<ref name="Westra">{{cite journal | last = Westra | first = Richard | name-list-style = vanc | year = 2011 | title = Renewing Socialist Development in the Third World | journal = [[Journal of Contemporary Asia]] | volume = 41 | issue = 4 | pages = 519–543 | doi = 10.1080/00472336.2011.610612 }}</ref>

In some cities, especially in countries in Southern Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, slums are not just marginalized neighborhoods holding a small population; slums are widespread, and are home to a large part of urban population. These are sometimes called "slum cities".<ref>{{cite book|title=Slum Cities and Cities with Slums" States of the World's Cities 2008/2009|publisher=UN-Habitat}}</ref>