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Billions of people can live crowded together in a single [[Hive city]]. Each of these Hive Worlders is a potential soldier for Imperial forces, including the [[Imperial Guard]] and the [[Space Marine]]s. Hive Worlds contribute the vast bulk of the recruits for the [[Imperial Guard]]. The violent [[gang]]land lifestyle which most residents are forced to live means they are already hardened and experienced in warfare. Almost every recruit will already know how to handle a gun. Hive Worlds also serve to populate newly discovered planets. Imperial citizens are gathered from various Hive Worlds (willingly or unwillingly) and shipped off to distant colonies. An example of this would be [[Medusa V]]. Hive Worlds have huge import/export ratios, exporting a vast range of materials, and relying on imports of food and water. In common with most other Imperial worlds, Hive World society has distinct classes, with a ruling class and a working class. Invariably the lower classes inhabit the lower and more decayed and polluted levels of the Hive.{{Cite This}}

Hive Worlds also serve to populate newly discovered planets. Imperial citizens are gathered from various Hive Worlds (willingly or unwillingly) and shipped off to distant colonies. An example of this would be [[Medusa V]].{{Cite This}} Hive Worlds have huge import/export ratios, exporting a vast range of materials, and relying on imports of food and water.{{Cite This}} There are approximately 32,380 Hive Worlds in the Imperium.{{Fn|2a}} Most consist of various enclosed Hive cities or Hive clusters surrounded by wasteland, jungle, ice, plains, etc. In the most extreme examples the Hive World has developed beyond the point of separate Hive clusters - the planet's surface instead is completely urbanised with hundreds of stacked layers of arcologies, covering the entirety of the planet. Holy [[Terra]] is an example of this "city-planet".{{Cite This}} In common with most other Imperial worlds, Hive World society has distinct classes, with a ruling class and a working class. Invariably the lower classes inhabit the lower and more decayed and polluted levels of the Hive.{{Cite This}} The sheer numbers of workers in a Hive makes them hard to control. Gangs grow up and control sections, fighting among themselves and millions subsists on scraps. Further up power reaches the ancient lighting system, while even further up, air circulation systems clean the air for those rich enough to afford it. It is a hierarchical system, and a ruthless one, but given sufficient forces to keep the populace down, it is a very efficient way of housing billions of people. If each person had a house on the ground, the entire planet would be overrun with living quarters and no room for production facilities.{{Cite This}}