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GHS-DUC R2022A - GHS Degree of Urbanisation Classification, application of the Degree of Urbanisation methodology (stage II) to GADM 3.6 layer, multitemporal (1975-2030) - OBSOLETE RELEASE

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OBSOLETE RELEASE - The use of the GHSL Data Package 2022 (GHS P2022) is currently not recommended. CHECK FOR THE MOST UPDATED VERSION OF GHSL DATASETS AT https://ghsl.jrc.ec.europa.eu/datasets.php - This dataset contains the Global Degree of Urbanisation Classification of administrative units delineated by the Global ADMinistrative layer version 3.6 (GADM36) according to the application of stage II of the Degree of Urbanisation. The classification is based on the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) global datasets GHS R2022: the settlement classification GHS-SMOD (GHS-SMOD_GLOBE_R2022A), population grid GHS-POP (GHS-POP_GLOBE_R2022A), and built-up surface GHS-BUILT-S (GHS-BUILT-S_GLOBE_R2022A) layers for target years 1975-2030 (5 years timestep).

This dataset contains a package composed by one excel table, a summary table gathering global summary statistics and by countries and territories in GADM3.6, and 72 CSV files, one per GADM level (from 0 to 5) and epoch (1975-2030), with all administrative units classified according to the Degree of Urbanisation. The spatial delineation of GADM 3.6 administrative units is available at GADM official website (accessible through the link below). Please select the whole world shapefile as six separate layers (one for each level of subdivision/aggregation). The vector layers can be used to join each classification table (csv) with the actual spatial units.

Contributors

How to cite

Schiavina, Marcello; Melchiorri, Michele; Freire, Sergio (2026): GHS-DUC R2022A - GHS Degree of Urbanisation Classification, application of the Degree of Urbanisation methodology (stage II) to GADM 3.6 layer, multitemporal (1975-2030) - OBSOLETE RELEASE. European Commission, Joint Research Centre [Dataset] doi: 10.2905/JRC.YVAWYSR; 10.2905/F5224214-6B66-43DF-A9C6-CC974F17D803 PID: http://data.europa.eu/89h/f5224214-6b66-43df-a9c6-cc974f17d803

Keywords

Big DataDegree of UrbanisationDEGURBAGADM 3.6GHS DUCGHS-DUCGHSLglobal

Data access

ZIP

ZIP is an archive file format that supports lossless data compression. A ZIP file may contain one or more files or directories that may have been compressed.

Downloadable file

A downloadable file for the dataset.

Use conditions
European Commission reuse notice

According to the European Commission reuse notice, reuse is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged. The reuse policy of the European Commission is implemented by the Decision of 12 December 2011. The general principle of reuse can be subject to conditions which may be specified in individual copyright notices. Therefore users are advised to refer to the copyright notices of the individual websites maintained under Europa and of the individual documents. Reuse is not applicable to documents subject to intellectual property rights of third parties.

Access conditions
No limitations

Anybody can directly and anonymously access the data, without being required to register or authenticate.

  • GHS statistics on Degree of Urbanisation Classification, classification of all administrative units delineated by the Global ADMinistrative layer version 3.6 (GADM36) according to the stage II of the Degree of Urbanisation for target years 1975-2030 (5 years timestep). The compressed ZIP file contain XLS and CSV files and short documentation.

Other resources

HTML

HTML is the standard markup language used to create web pages and its elements form the building blocks of all websites.

Use conditions
European Commission reuse notice

According to the European Commission reuse notice, reuse is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged. The reuse policy of the European Commission is implemented by the Decision of 12 December 2011. The general principle of reuse can be subject to conditions which may be specified in individual copyright notices. Therefore users are advised to refer to the copyright notices of the individual websites maintained under Europa and of the individual documents. Reuse is not applicable to documents subject to intellectual property rights of third parties.

Access conditions
No limitations

Anybody can directly and anonymously access the data, without being required to register or authenticate.

  • Project Web site

HTML

HTML is the standard markup language used to create web pages and its elements form the building blocks of all websites.

Use conditions
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

CC BY 4.0 lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon the author’s work, even commercially, as long as they credit the author for the original creation. This is the most accommodating of licences offered. Recommended for maximum dissemination and use of licenced materials.

Access conditions
No limitations

Anybody can directly and anonymously access the data, without being required to register or authenticate.

  • Original GADM3.6 shapefile dataset Download the six separate layers (one for each level of subdivision/aggregation) to join the GHS-DUC tables with spatial units

Publications

Publication
European Commission, and Statistical Office of the European Union, 2021. Applying the Degree of Urbanisation — A methodological manual to define cities, towns and rural areas for international comparisons — 2021 edition Publications Office of the European Union, 2021, ISBN 978-92-76-20306-3 doi:10.2785/706535
Publication
Dijkstra, L., Florczyk, A., Carneiro Freire, S.M., Kemper, T., Melchiorri, M., Pesaresi, M. and Schiavina, M., Applying the Degree of Urbanisation to the globe: A new harmonised definition reveals a different picture of global urbanisation, JOURNAL OF URBAN ECONOMICS, ISSN 0094-1190 (online), 125, 2021, p. 103312, JRC122903.
ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE, SAN DIEGO, USA
  • The Degree of Urbanisation is a new definition of cities, towns and semi-dense areas, and rural areas endorsed by the UN Statistical Commission. The urban population share according to the Degree of Urbanisation is similar to the one based on national definitions in the Americas,Europe and Oceania, but considerably higher in Africa and Asia. An empirical analysis and a comparison of concepts suggest that towns are likely to be classified as rural areas in Africa and Asia and as urban areas in other parts of the world. The paper shows that cities cover only a small share of land, but this share doubled over the past forty years, as has the number of cities.

    Although cities have expanded rapidly, their population grew even faster leading to higher densities. The paper tests two classic urban facts: 1) the cities and towns as defined by the Degree of Urbanisation closely follow Zipf’s law 2) the population shares in urban areas, cities and especially metropolitan areas are positively and significantly correlated with the level of economic development. Lastly, the sensitivity of the classification of population and land are tested by varying the population size and density thresholds as well using a different global population grid.

Publication
Schiavina, M., Melchiorri, M., Pesaresi, M., Politis, P., Carneiro Freire, S.M., Maffenini, L., Florio, P., Ehrlich, D., Goch, K., Tommasi, P. and Kemper, T., GHSL Data Package 2022, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2022, ISBN 978-92-76-53071-8 (online),978-92-76-53070-1 (print), doi:10.2760/19817 (online),10.2760/526478 (print), JRC129516.
Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
  • The Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) produces new global spatial information, evidence-based analytics and knowledge describing the human presence on planet Earth. It operates in a fully open and free data and methods access policy. The knowledge generated with the GHSL is supporting the definition, the public discussion and the implementation of European policies and the monitoring of international frameworks such as the 2030 Development Agenda. The GHSL are the core data set of the Exposure Mapping Component under the Copernicus Emergency Management Service. This release is the first official contribution of GHSL to the Copernicus services. GHSL data continue to support the GEO Human Planet Initiative (HPI) that is committed to developing a new generation of measurements and information products providing new scientific evidence and a comprehensive understanding of the human presence on the planet and that can support global policy processes with agreed, actionable and goal-driven metrics. The Human Planet Initiative relies on a core set of partners committed in coordinating the production of the global settlement spatial baseline data.

    This document describes the public release of the GHSL Data Package 2022 (GHS P2022). The release provides improved built-up (including surface, volume and height) and population products as well as a new settlement model and classification of administrative and territorial units according to the Degree of Urbanisation.

Spatial coverage

Temporal coverage

From date To date
1975-01-01 2030-12-31

Additional information

Published by
European Commission, Joint Research Centre
Contact email
jrc-ghsl-data (at) ec.europa.eu
Update frequency
irregular

The event occurs at uneven intervals.

Language(s)
English

English is a member of the West Germanic group of the Germanic languages. It is an official language of almost 60 sovereign states and is now a global lingua franca.It is the third-most-common native language in the world and it is widely learned as a second language.

Data theme(s)
Environment

dataset theme covering the domain of environment, defined as the interaction of all living species, climate, weather, and natural resources that impact human survival and economic activity

International issues

dataset theme covering the domain of international issues which relates to significant topics or problems that are subject to debate or discussion and involve participants from at least two different countries

Regions and cities

dataset theme covering the domains of regions and cities, where regions is defined by political geography units including sovereign states, subnational administrative areas, and multinational groupings, and cities are characterised as large human settlements

Population and society

dataset theme covering the domains of population and society, where population refers to the total number of people residing within various geographic levels from cities to the global scale, and society denotes a collective of individuals engaged in continuous social interaction within a common territory, often under the same political and cultural norms

Science and technology

dataset theme covering the domains of science and technology, with science being the systematic pursuit of knowledge through testable explanations and predictions across natural, social, and formal disciplines, and technology encompassing the collective techniques, skills, methods, and processes used in producing goods, providing services, or achieving objectives like scientific research

Geographical name(s)
Issued date
2022-06-25
Created date
01 Jun 2022 10:36
Modified date
07 Aug 2025 15:29
Landing page
Dataset identifier
Other identifiers
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