To complement the graph of the population in each density category, this updated version of the World Population Density Map includes Population Weighted Density statistics for each country and city. The statistical analysis on the World Population Density Map website has also been updated using the 2023 GHSL data, so you can view the density profiles for all countries around the globe. Example images for Shanghai and New York City are shown below.Ĭountry Density Profiles – the Diversity of Human Settlement The dataset can now be used for more accurate comparisons of population and density for cities across the globe. Previous releases of the GHSL were underestimating urban densities for cities where census data was weaker, but this appears to no longer be the case. The added level of detail also improves the representation of cities, with more accurate density analysis, and improved techniques to differentiate residential from industrial and commercial urban land uses. This is also the case for other key regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, and China. The tens of thousands of small villages are identified and used to more accurately distribute India’s huge population. The results are much improved, particularly for complex rural and peri-urban landscapes in the Global South, such as for India shown below. The new GHSL 2023 data has produced a much more detailed 10 metre dataset of built-up area (using recent European Space Agency Sentinel data), and this is the basis for creating the updated population layer. Improved Level of Detail for Cities and Rural Landscapes I have updated the World Population Density Map website to include this new 2023 data, with both the cartography and statistical analysis now based on the new data. The level of detail for cities and rural areas is impressive, and it overcomes the limitations of previous releases of the GHSL. This update has greatly improved the GHSL data, with a 10 metre scale built-up area dataset of the entire globe which has been used to create a 100 metre scale global population density layer. The European Commission JRC recently released a new 2023 update of the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) data.