The demographic profiles of the world's largest cities: a baseline analysis and policy implications

"This paper examines the demographic profiles of 74 of the world's largest cities through cluster analysis, which classifies the cities into distinctive groups based on population size, net population change, rate of natural increase, sex ratio, age composition, and dependency ratios. Discussions of the results focus on: the strikingly different demographic profiles of the large cities in more developed countries (MDCs) and less developed countries (LDCs); the simultaneous similarities and differences among MDC cities and socialist and former socialist cities; and the particular demographic characteristics of certain MDC and LDC cities. The paper also draws research implications for the data and method used and urban policy implications for the demographic and socioeconomic conditions in very large MDC and LDC cities."