The proportion of the urban population living in slums worldwide declined by 20 per cent between 2000 and 2014 (from 28 per cent to 23 per cent). Still, that is more than 1 billion people, 80 per cent of who can be attributed to three regions: Eastern and South-Eastern Asia (370 million), sub-Saharan Africa (238 million) and Central and Southern Asia (227 million).

An estimated 3 billion people will require adequate and affordable housing by 2030. Renewed policy attention and increased investments are needed to ensure affordable and adequate housing for all by 2030.

Globally, 2 billion people were without waste collection services, and 3 billion people lacked access to controlled waste disposal facilities. The problem will only worsen as urbanization increases, income levels rise and economies become more consumer-oriented.

The total amount of waste generated globally is expected to double from nearly 2 billion metric tons in 2016 to about 4 billion metric tons by 2050. Investment in waste management infrastructure is urgently needed to improve the handling of solid waste across much of the world.