Explore 21 micro-apartments from around the world

The population of the world's major cities is booming.

From New York to Shanghai, more people are moving into dense, urban areas than ever before. And all these people need somewhere to live.

As property values in the core areas of cities increase around the world, the rise of micro-apartments, or living spaces well under 300 square feet, can provide relatively cheap places to live.

Depending on your viewpoint, they are either terribly small or an ingenious strategy for coping with housing shortages.

Check out the photos below of some nice — and not-so-nice — micro-apartments around the world:

Chris Weller contributed to an earlier version of this post.

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SEE ALSO: Photos of Chinese micro-apartments reveal the terrifying scope of a housing crisis