The country will add another 497 million to its urban population by 2050. According to a report released by the United Nations today, the largest increases in urban population are expected in countries like India, China, Nigeria, US and Indonesia.

The report titled ''2011 Revision of the World Urbanization Prospects' says, urban population in Africa will increase from 414 million to over 1.2 billion by 2050 while that of Asia will soar from 1.9 billion to 3.3 billion. It says, the projected increase in urban population in India and Nigeria between 2010 and 2050 will be higher than that of the past 40 years.

The unprecedented increase will provide new opportunities to improve education and public services in Africa and Asia, as more concentrated populations become easier to reach. However, this will also pose new challenges of providing urban jobs, housing, energy and infra­structure to mitigate urban poverty, expansion of slums and deterioration of the urban environment.