This dataset was created in Horizon Europe project COMPASS (https://compass-climate.eu/) in collaboration with project WorldPop (https://www.worldpop.org/) The main inputs are four gridded datasets: WorldPop [1], FuturePop [2], Global Human Settlement Layer [3] and HYDE 3.2 [4], plus a multisource compilation of national population from project COMPASS [5] for historical period and SSP v3.2 dataset [6].
The data was created at high resolution (30 arc seconds, ~1 km) and then upscaled to the coarser resolutions. In a nutshell, the following process was used to derive the data:
(1) WorldPop gridded constrained global population data for 2015-2025 [1] were combined with FuturePop projections based on SSP v3.2 trajectories until year 2100 [2].
(2) The WorldPop gridded population was extrapolated back to 1975 using Global Human Settlement Layer [3].
(3) Data were further extrapolated back to 1850 using HYDE 3.2 [4].
(4) The data were adjusted to match annual national timeseries of population (see the “Population — National (ISIMIP4)” dataset).
Input data, code and documentation (including detailed sources) is available on Zenodo [5] and will be further documented in a forthcoming journal publication.
Population data in this dataset is consistent with population density that is part of CMIP7 input4MIPs (https://input4mips-cvs.readthedocs.io/en/latest/dataset-overviews/population/)
[1] Bondarenko M., Priyatikanto R., Tejedor-Garavito N., Zhang W., McKeen T., Cunningham A., Woods T., Hilton J., Cihan D., Nosatiuk B., Brinkhoff T., Tatem A., and Sorichetta A. (2025a.) The spatial distribution of population in 2015-2030 at a resolution of 30 arc (approximately 1km at the equator) R2025A version v1. [dataset], https://doi.org/10.5258/SOTON/WP00845
[2] Bondarenko M., Tejedor-Garavito N., Priyatikanto R., Zhang W., Fang W., Nosatiuk B., Gaskell J., McKeen T., Noi E., Hilton J., Butterick J., Hawker L., and Tatem A. J. (2025b) Global 1km-grid population projections for 2025-2100 consistent with the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways 3.2 national population projections, version 0.2" 2025 [dataset], https://doi.org/10.5258/SOTON/WP00849
[3] Schiavina M., Freire S., Carioli A., MacManus K. (2023) GHS-POP R2023A - GHS population grid multitemporal (1975-2030) [dataset], https://doi.org/10.2905/2FF68A52-5B5B-4A22-8F40-C41DA8332CFE
[4] Klein Goldewijk, K., Beusen, A., Doelman, J., and Stehfest, E. (2017) Anthropogenic land use estimates for the Holocene – HYDE 3.2, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 9, 927–953, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-927-2017
[5] Paprotny, D. (2025) Exposure datasets at multiple scales, Version v2 [dataset]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17572467
[6] KC, S. (2026) SSP Population and Human-Capital Projections, 2025-Rebased, 2025-2100 (zen2025V01) [dataset]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21738149
