The 16th annual State of the World’s Mothers report has a special focus on the rapidly urbanising world and the poorest mothers and children who must struggle to survive despite overall urban progress. Key findings of the report include: the world, especially the developing world, is becoming urbanised at a breathtaking pace, with virtually all future population growth in developing countries  expected to happen in cities, resulting in a greater share of child deaths taking place in urban areas; in developing countries, the urban poor are often as bad as, or worse off than, the average rural family, and for many rural families, moving to the city may result in more – rather than less – hardship; and few countries have invested sufficiently in the infrastructure and systems, including water and sanitation, which are critical to addressing the basic health needs of the urban poor, while more countries need to adopt universal health care as a national policy to help address the unmet needs of the urban poor.