CAIRO, Feb 27 (Aswat Masriya) - The population of metropolitan Cairo is forecast to grow by 0.5 million in 2017 alone, ranking first among the fastest-growing cities in the world, according to a report by Euromonitor International.

Alexandria and Cairo were among the 20 fastest-growing cities in the world, with Alexandria ranking in the 19th spot.

The world’s urban population is growing at 2 per cent annually, “but some cities exceed this growth rate by a wide margin,” according to the report.

The fastest growing cities will be the Middle East and Africa, including Nigeria’s Abuja and Qatar’s Doha.

"In the developed world, cities’ populations remain relatively young, and some urban areas continue to develop at a faster rate than the developed world is accustomed to,” the report stated.

“In emerging and frontier markets, major metropolitan areas account for a large share of the observed economic growth.”  

Egypt’s population has grown to 92.5 million according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS).

Head of the Population Statistics sector Amal Nour al-Din at CAPMAS projected a population increase of 2 million this year across the country.