Moving out of the world's slums

Almost a quarter of a billion people around the world have escaped from slum living conditions in the last decade, according to a UN report.

Despite the headline figure, the UN Human Settlements Programme - UN Habitat - said the housing effort was outstripped by population growth.

The report's author said cities were growing faster than the slum eradication rate. The UN has pledged to reduce slum dwelling as part of its millennium development goals.

However, the head of UN Habitat, Anna Tibaijuka, said improvements in the numbers of slum dwellers were not always apparent.

So are these changes simply side effects of a growing world economy?

Ms Tibaijuka, says that historically, it takes more than just growing economies to tackle slums.

First broadcast on World Business News