A study carried out by Italian consultants for the municipality of Santo Domingo confirms the extraordinary growth being experienced by the city. While in 1920, the urban population of the Dominican Republic in general was 16.6%, the number of people living in cities had increased to 52% in 1981 and to 65% by 1995. Santo Domingo is growing at a rate of 3.65% per year with a forecast that the population will increase from 2.3 million people in 1995 to 3.3 million by 2005. Santo Domingo is also showing a spectacular horizontal as well as vertical growth, with new areas being added to the conurbation. Middle class one-family house districts are also evolving into apartment communities.