Approximately 1 in 6 people live in informal settlements, or slums. In developing countries, some 1 in 3 people living in cities are living in slum areas.
While there have been some successes in reducing the number of people living in such areas in recent years by about a tenth (mostly in China and India), numerous problems persist.
Some settlements are not officially recognized despite being present for decades and being home to thousands of people. This then means that residents have been denied a range of essential services provided by the government to other residents such as water, sanitation, electricity, garbage collection, health, education, access roads and transport.
In some places, people face an almost daily threat of forced eviction without notice or appropriate compensation. Human rights groups have filmed cases where bulldozers come in without warning while residents are there. This often occurs when developers want the land for further development and may include state collusion.
Due to the very conditions in which people live, their ability to stand up for their rights and have their voices heard is greatly reduced. And yet, despite this, there is much of humanity to be found in these areas, with vibrancy and enterprising people struggling to make a living.
The poverty around the world page has been updated to explores some of these aspects further, with additional information and videos.
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