Urban Populations: Stop TB Key Populations Brief

Globally, the prevalence of TB is much higher in urban areas than in rural areas. Around 54% of the world’s population now lives in cities, with the most rapid rates of urbanization being witnessed in developing countries. In the developed world, urbanization has led to overall improvements in health, but this trend has not been mirrored in less-developed regions of the world. In these settings, the key social and economic determinants of TB converge on the poorest populations.

The inability of public health care services to keep up with the massive population growth in urban centres has led to an expansion of the informal private, for-profit health care sector. These private providers are able to meet their customers’ demands by offering services that have been overlooked by the formal health sector, such as longer opening hours, more flexible payment options and more convenient locations.