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 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 Rapid urban growth is reshaping cities across Africa, Latin America and Asia, but in many places, reliable and up-to-date data about how cities are expanding simply doesn’t exist. New research from WorldPop, led by Dr Rhorom Priyatikanto, aims to change that. The team has developed a new dataset that tracks how
High-Resolution Mapping Sheds Light on Rapid Urban Growth Read More »
Take Our Survey and Help Shape What Comes Next Rapid urban growth is transforming cities across the Global South. But in many places, official property and land-use records are outdated, or do not exist at all. This makes it difficult for authorities to plan new roads, schools, utilities or emergency services. New WorldPop research led
Help for planners as cities grow in the Global South Read More »
WorldPop is partnering with the International Data Alliance for Children on the Move (IDAC) to host a webinar on February 19 exploring how AI can bridge critical demographic gaps for children on the move. This session highlights the necessity of accurate and contemporary data to ensure vulnerable populations are visible in humanitarian decision-making. Professor Andy
WorldPop/IDAC Webinar: Demographic Gaps for Children on the Move Read More »
How do you use WorldPop open data – and how would you like to use it in the future? We’d love to hear from you. We’re running an anonymous survey to better understand how people use (or would like to use) our data. The survey takes just a few minutes to complete and is completely
Help Shape the Future of WorldPop Open Data Read More »
An international team of researchers, including experts from the WorldPop group at the University of Southampton, has challenged recent claims that gridded global population maps systematically undercount rural communities. In a comprehensive response to a study published in Nature Communications, the team argues that allegations of a 50% undercount are based on a flawed research design that
Global Population Data Experts Refute Claims of Systematic Rural Underrepresentation 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.
