AGPC: an Annual 500 m Gridded Population (1990–2020) for China incorporating 3D building volume dynamics

Xu, Xiaocong; He, Shiyu; Ou, Jinpei; Zhou, Yan; Liu, Xiaoping

doi:10.5194/essd-18-6995-2026

Articles | Volume 18, issue 9

https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-6995-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-6995-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 18, issue 9

Data description article

|

23 Sep 2026

Data description article |

| 23 Sep 2026

AGPC: an Annual 500 m Gridded Population (1990–2020) for China incorporating 3D building volume dynamics

Xiaocong Xu, Shiyu He, Jinpei Ou, Yan Zhou, and Xiaoping Liu

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-6995-2026-supplement

Data sets

AGPC: An Annual 500 m Gridded Population (1990–2020) for China Incorporating 3D Building Volume Dynamics Xiaocong Xu, Shiyu He, Jinpei Ou, Yan Zhou, Xiaoping Liu https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.31338352

Global 30 meter resolution annual land cover dataset AGLC (1985-2022) Bingjie Li et al. https://doi.org/10.11888/Terre.tpdc.302477

Model code and software

AGPC population mapping code Shiyu He https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22671624

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Short summary

We developed annual population maps for mainland China from 1990 to 2020 at 500-metre detail. A key advance is the use of changing three-dimensional building volume, allowing the maps to distinguish densely populated areas with extensive high-rise development that conventional maps based mainly on two-dimensional built-up land may overlook. Combined with census and other data, the maps show high accuracy and can support studies of urban growth, environmental change, and disaster risk.