In an effort to standardize the classification of urban and rural areas worldwide, six international organizations—the European Commission, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and The World Bank have collaborated to produce a comprehensive methodological manual. This initiative, endorsed by the UN Statistical Commission in 2020, aims to address long-standing inconsistencies in how countries define cities, towns, and rural areas. The manual, titled <em>Applying the Degree of Urbanisation</em>, introduces a globally harmonized classification system designed to improve international statistical comparability, enable better policy planning, and facilitate the tracking of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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