WorldPop News

Screen capture of The Power of Population Data webinar, showing Dr Maksym Bondarenko, Dr Jessica Espey and Professor Andy Tatem

New Global Population Dataset Unveiled at Packed WorldPop Webinar

Over 350 people from across the globe tuned in this week to our live webinar as we launched our most advanced population dataset yet – Global 2. Held on 4 September and hosted by Deputy Director, Dr Jessica Espey, The Power of Population Data event showcased how forward-looking data science is transforming our understanding of […]

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Animation showing population growth in Lagos, Nigeria, modelled for 2015-2030.

WorldPop Unveils Global 2: Next-Generation Global Population Dataset

In a major leap forward for global population mapping, WorldPop today are releasing its much-anticipated Global 2 (2015-2030) population dataset, a high-resolution, open-access trove of demographic data that provides a clearer picture of population distribution worldwide. Spanning 242 countries and covering the years 2015 to 2030, the new dataset delivers 100-meter resolution estimates that are

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An image of WorldPop Global 2 population estimates overlaid on satellite imagery for Northern Europe showing high population numbers in white and lower numbers in red. 2025

WorldPop ‘Global2’: Global high-resolution population estimates for 2015-2030

Tomorrow we’re launching WorldPop’s new global gridded population datasets – which we’re calling ‘Global 2’. In this blog I aim to provide an overview of what these new data are, why they matter, how you can use them, and a glimpse of what’s coming next. What was Global 1? Back in 2018, the WorldPop team

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Photo of data collection, Kahda, Somalia SNBS, 2025

Supporting Groundbreaking Data Initiative in Somalia

A major breakthrough in data collection and analysis is underway in Somalia, thanks in large part to the technical leadership of WorldPop in a transformative new project aimed at strengthening evidence-based planning in one of the world’s most data-scarce countries.  The initiative, “Generation of Socio-Demographic Data for Evidence-Based Programming in South-Central Somalia,” marks the first

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Photo of a Malawi village.

WorldPop Brings Cutting-Edge Mapping Technology to Support Malawi’s 2028 Census

A new international partnership launched today between WorldPop at the University of Southampton and the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) is set to support the National Statistics Office (NSO) of Malawi in planning its 2028 national census, by introducing innovative, automated mapping methods that significantly reduce cost and effort. At the heart of the

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Photo of an Adhoc Registrar, supporting a mother during a digital birth registration drive in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, part of a nationwide effort to ensure every child has a legal identity

Teaming up With UNICEF to Find and Vaccinate Zero-Dose Children

UNICEF is harnessing the power of WorldPop’s high-resolution population data to close immunization gaps and reach children who have never received a single vaccine, commonly known as zero-dose children. As part of the Reach the Unreached initiative, WorldPop collaborated with UNICEF as well as CartONG and MapAction to generate detailed, geospatial estimates of under-immunized populations.

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Maps showing cluster level estimates of proportions of children aged 12-23 months and 9-35 months who had received DTP1 and MCV1, respectively, obtained using the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey.

Smarter Maps, Healthier Lives: New Study Reveals Best Tools to Target Vaccine Gaps

How do we find out where vaccines aren’t reaching people – especially in places with limited data? A new study led by Dr Edson Utazi at WorldPop, in collaboration with the World Health Organization and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, has evaluated how different statistical and machine learning methods perform in mapping vaccination coverage at high resolution.

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Maps showing predicted malaria prevalence in children under five and number of infected children in regions of very low to moderate transmission in Senegal (excluding Dakar for visibility purposes).

New Study Maps Malaria Risk in Senegal by Blending Environment and Vulnerability 

Senegal is pushing to eliminate malaria by 2030, and a new study could help target the fight more precisely. Researchers at the University of Namur, Belgium, the University of Ghana and WorldPop at the University of Southampton have developed a powerful new way to map malaria risk across the country by integrating both environmental “hazards”

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Photo of Chris Nnanatu presenting at JSM 2025

WorldPop Showcases Population Modelling at Global Statistics Summit

WorldPop Senior Research Fellow Dr Chris Nnanatu recently took centre stage at the 2025 Joint Statistical Meeting (JSM) in Nashville, Tennessee, one of the world’s leading gatherings of statisticians, co-hosted by the American Statistical Association (ASA) and the Royal Statistical Society (RSS). Dr Nnanatu presented pioneering research on improving global population estimates using satellite technology,

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Maps of Europe showing heat-related excess mortality projected annual average heat-related excess deaths per million population at a 1.5 °C, b 2.0 °C, c 3.0 °C, and (d) 4.0 °C.

New Study Warns of Sharp Rise in Heat-Related Deaths Across Europe Due to Climate Change

A new collaborative study co-authored by Principal Research Fellow Dr Shengjie Lai, has issued a stark warning about the growing threat of heat-related mortality in Europe, driven by intensifying climate change and rapid population aging. Using WorldPop gridded population data, the research team found that between 2010 and 2022, over 368,000 deaths were linked to

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