Take Our Survey and Help Shape What Comes Next During the 2026 Global Data Festival in Nairobi, WorldPop researchers showcased how high-resolution geospatial mapping and artificial intelligence are transforming the way nations count and improve outcomes for their citizens. The event, which was held jointly with the Kenya Space Expo & Conference, brought together international […]
Take Our Survey and Help Shape What Comes Next Access to high-quality demographic data is often one of the biggest barriers to evidence-based decision-making. Whether supporting health service planning, humanitarian response, infrastructure investment, or climate adaptation, organisations need population data that is both current and spatially detailed. That is why we are pleased to see
WorldPop Global 2 Demographic Data Now in ArcGIS Living Atlas Read More »
Take Our Survey and Help Shape What Comes Next UNICEF is launching the Global Child Hazard Database (GCHD) at London Climate Action Week later this month. The GCHD initiative provides globally standardised datasets on children’s exposure to overlapping climate and environmental risks. The project aims to provide timely and accurate data to support informed decision-making and policy advocacy for the world’s youth. Central to this
WorldPop Open Data Helps UNICEF Pinpoint Children’s Climate Vulnerability Read More »
Take Our Survey and Help Shape What Comes Next WorldPop researchers at the University of Southampton have published the methodology behind the massive subnational dataset used to power Global 2 – our latest high-resolution mapping of the human population. The new article, published as a preprint in VeriXiv, details how the team harmonised and projected population data for more than 716,000 subnational administrative units across
Take Our Survey and Help Shape What Comes Next Professor Andy Tatem, Director of WorldPop at the University of Southampton, has been recognised as a global research leader in the field of environmental sciences. Academic rankings and researcher profile platform Research.com has awarded Professor Tatem the 2026 Environmental Sciences in United Kingdom Leader Award, ranking him 10th in the
WorldPop Director Named Among Top Global Scientists in Environmental Sciences Read More »
Take Our Survey and Help Shape What Comes Next Last week, Research Fellow Dr Somnath Chaudhri presented new research on mapping the risks of Guinea Worm Disease across Sub-Saharan Africa at the Intelligent Systems for Vector-Borne Disease Study Group Meeting held at The Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg, Institute for Advanced Study in Delmenhorst, Germany. The presentation focused on how spatial
Presenting New Research on Eradicating Guinea Worm Disease Read More »
Take Our Survey and Help Shape What Comes Next High-resolution data from WorldPop is uncovering critical demographic shifts in over 10,000 cities that national averages often hide. The study, led by Dr Andrew Zimmer and published in Nature Cities, provides a globally consistent view of urban change between 2000 and 2020. Researchers used WorldPop’s anonymised and aggregated gridded population distributions to track age and sex
Open-access WorldPop data reveals hidden demographic trends across 10,000 cities Read More »
Take Our Survey and Help Shape What Comes Next WorldPop have launched a new artificial intelligence framework project to test methods for mapping urban populations with improved accuracy. This initiative aims to ensure that vulnerable residents in low- and middle-income countries are accurately represented in vital decision-making processes, from vaccine distribution to disaster response. In
AI-driven mapping to ensure no one is left behind in rapidly growing cities Read More »
Take Our Survey and Help Shape What Comes Next A new World Bank policy research working paper demonstrates how artificial intelligence and open geospatial data can help governments understand economies at a far more detailed local level. Many important statistics, such as GDP, poverty, infrastructure access, or disaster risk, are usually reported only at national
Mapping the World in Greater Detail: Why the World Bank’s New AI Research Matters Read More »
Take Our Survey and Help Shape What Comes Next Improving accuracy in geospatial data is transforming how we protect vulnerable populations from climate-driven disasters. Earlier this month, a team of researchers from WorldPop and the FuturePop project presented pioneering research at the EGU26 General Assembly in Vienna, Austria. From tracking flood-induced displacement in India to
Mapping Vulnerability: Researchers Present New Climate and Population Data at EGU26 Read More »
The WorldPop research programme, based in the School of Geography and Environmental Sciences at the University of Southampton, is a multi-sectoral team of researchers, technicians and project specialists that produces data on population distributions and characteristics at high spatial resolution.
Initiated in October 2013 to combine The AfriPop Project, AsiaPop and AmeriPop projects, we have a diverse portfolio of projects, including large multi-million-pound collaborative projects with partner organisations, commercial data providers and international development organisations.
