1.1 Billion People Live in Slums Globally

Why this is here: The mayor of Homs, Syria, noted that 400,000 people returned to the city after the war, finding severely damaged neighborhoods and lacking basic services.

Ministers and urban planners are meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan to address the global housing crisis affecting roughly 2.8 billion people. Over the past ten years, about 160 countries have adopted urban policies and two-thirds have started housing programs. However, UN-Habitat reports these efforts haven’t kept pace with need.

More than 1.1 billion people currently live in slums or informal settlements, with over 120 million joining them in the last decade. The World Urban Forum is discussing solutions like social housing and upgrading existing settlements, with a focus on cities recovering from conflict—like Homs, Syria, where 400,000 residents have returned to damaged neighborhoods.

The forum also addresses climate change impacts on vulnerable populations and the high emissions from the construction sector. Despite ongoing conversations rooted in the New Urban Agenda, affordable housing remains elusive even in wealthy nations like the United States. The discussions will inform a review of progress at the upcoming UN General Assembly.