The Urban-Rural Divide in Health and Development

Total fertility rates, or lifetime births per woman, are consistently higher in rural areas compared to urban. In Uganda and Ethiopia, the difference is about three children per woman. Urban dwellers generally marry at older ages, use contraception at higher rates, and have higher levels of educational attainment and income, all factors that affect childbearing. Child marriage occurs more frequently in rural areas, with nearly three times as many rural women marrying before age 18 as their urban counterparts in Senegal. Child marriage poses serious consequences to the health and development of young women and is a violation of their human rights. Child marriage occurs more frequently among girls who have fewer opportunities and resources. Modern contraceptive use has continued to increase steadily in most developing countries in both urban and rural areas, although urban areas have consistently shown higher use. In some countries, such as Rwanda and Zambia, family planning use in rural areas is closing the gap. The average annual rate of change of the percentage urban is 1.1 percent in Africa and 1.5 in Asia. Several countries in Africa have some of the highest urban growth rates, including Rwanda at 3.7 percent annually, and Ethiopia and Tanzania each at 2.3 percent. Both urban and rural populations in Africa and Asia have grown in the last 60 years. Currently, the majority of the population in both of these regions resides in rural areas. However, Asia's urban population will soon surpass its rural population. In contrast, Africa is projected to remain largely rural for several decades, and both the urban and rural populations will continue to grow well beyond 2050. Latin America's population has been predominantly urban since the 1960s with the rural population remaining about the same size for more than 50 years. Young people in urban areas have a greater chance of completing lower secondary school than their rural counterparts. Young men have more educational advantages and higher completion rates in both urban and rural settings, with a few exceptions. Gender gaps in education can vary widely in both urban and rural areas, as seen in Afghanistan, Kenya, and Yemen. While the gender gap may be closing in some countries, the gap between urban and rural educational attainment remains wide. The demographic, socioeconomic, maternal and child health indicators vary significantly between urban and rural areas. Total population, percentage urban, total fertility rate, women ages 15-19 who have begun childbearing, population below national poverty line, employment in agriculture, lower secondary school completion rate, antenatal care, skilled attendance at delivery, infant mortality rate, and children under age 5 who are underweight are all higher in rural areas compared to urban areas.