Urban World 1.6

Urban World provides an insightful resource for navigating the significant global wave of urbanization that is reshaping economies and societies. With a comprehensive comparison of GDP, population, and household income across more than 2,600 cities worldwide, the platform allows users to track the dynamic shifts in economic centers from 1 CE to 2025.

The unprecedented growth of cities in emerging markets is facilitating a transformative economic change unparalleled in history. Urban World offers valuable insights into how economic power dynamics are evolving due to this rapid urban expansion.

By 2025, annual consumption in these emerging markets is projected to reach $30 trillion, with their GDP anticipated to surpass that of developed nations. The pace of economic change in China, for instance, is occurring at ten times that of the British Industrial Revolution—an event itself marked as a significant historical turning point—but at 100 times the scale.

Understanding the magnitude and implications of this urban transformation poses a challenge. Urban World aids in this understanding with an interactive economic and demographic map that illustrates the changing urban landscape.

• Users can spin the globe and pinch to zoom into individual countries and cities, comparing metrics such as population, household income, or GDP side-by-side.
• The search function facilitates quick access to specific cities, countries, or regions.
• The platform enables exploration of GDP trends from 1 CE through 2025, highlighting shifts in the world’s economic center of gravity during that timeframe.

Urban World is built upon over five years of research conducted by the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), the business and economics research arm of McKinsey & Company, providing a well-founded basis for its insights.