US EditionStudy Reveals Major Undercounting of Rural Population in Global Datasets
- A new study suggests that global population datasets may dramatically underestimate the rural population, potentially missing between 53% to 84% of people living in rural areas, according to researchers at Aalto University.
- The study indicates that even reliable datasets from 2010 inaccurately estimate rural populations by one-third to three-quarters.
- Josias Láng-Ritter, the first study author, stated, "Our study provides evidence that a significant proportion of the rural population may be missing from global population datasets."
- The researchers warn that this undercounting may lead to rural residents being under-represented in decision-making, thus affecting access to essential services and resources.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Earth Could Have Billions More People Than We Ever Realized
Is our little blue marble of a planet actually a lot more crowded than we thought? A new study suggests we've been significantly undercounting populations in rural areas, because of the grid-based method typically used to count people.
Global gridded population datasets systematically underrepresent rural population
Numerous initiatives towards sustainable development rely on global gridded population data. Such data have been calibrated primarily for urban environments, but their accuracy in the rural domain remains largely unexplored. This study systematically validates global gridded population datasets in rural areas, based on reported human resettlement from 307 large dam construction projects in 35 countries. We find large discrepancies between the ex…
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