Final answer:
About two-thirds of the world's population lived in rural areas fifty years ago. As economies have developed, there has been a global trend towards urbanization, with significant variation by region.
Step-by-step explanation:
Fifty years ago, about two-thirds of the world's population lived in rural areas. While in 1900, only 20 percent of the global population lived in cities, this figure increased to 40 percent by 1989 and surpassed 50 percent in recent years. The shift from rural to urban living has been significant over the past century, with a clear trend towards urbanization as economies develop. However, in some regions, such as much of Africa and India, a sizable portion of their populations still reside in rural areas, which has implications for economic development and labor distribution.
Factors such as agglomeration, economic growth, and urban development have influenced this shift. Lower-income nations still have a higher proportion of rural dwellers, and the challenges they face include managing urban growth and ensuring sustainable development. The distribution of urban and rural populations varies greatly by region, reflecting differences in economic status, with more urbanized areas found in higher-income countries.