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The Arab States' urban population is projected to be 260 million, or 66 percent of its estimated total of 395 million, by 2020. Today urban areas account for 56 percent of the total population of 270 million, Municipalities capture just over US$45 per capita in revenue per year.
The Arab States comprise a great diversity of socio-economic and human settlement profiles and characteristics: from least developed through developing to oil rich countries; conflict and post-conflict situations; from very open economies to economic isolation; and from highly urbanized to predominantly rural. The region's considerable internal diversity is reflected in the conditions in its cities and has resulted in widely varying domestic needs and priorities: rehabilitation and reconstruction (Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Somalia); poverty alleviation (Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Morocco and Yemen); urban management and housing needs (Egypt, Jordan and Algeria); and capacity building (Gulf countries).
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