The Power of Population Data Introducing WorldPop Global 2015–2030

4 September 2025. In this webinar, hosted by WorldPop Deputy Director Dr Jessica Espey, Professor Andy Tatem (Director) and Dr Maksym Bondarenko (Head of SDI) unveil Global 2 (2015–2030), the latest gridded population dataset designed to deliver more precise, inclusive, and accessible demographic insights for decision-making worldwide. The session explores how Global 2 integrates cutting-edge satellite imagery, AI, machine learning, and census data to map population distribution at 100x100m resolution, overcoming gaps in outdated or inconsistent national statistics. Guests Dr Sabrina Juran (UNFPA) and Dr Mollie Van Gordon (Gates Foundation) highlight real-world applications for disaster risk reduction, health planning, climate adaptation, and service delivery, while also addressing challenges of national adoption, political sensitivities, and the balance between global comparability and local accuracy. The webinar also showcases new tools for data access, user feedback, and future plans for annual updates, expanded demographic disaggregation, and integration into SDG monitoring. Webinar Agenda – WorldPop Global 2 (2015–2030) 00:00 – Welcome & Introductions Dr Jessica Espey opens the webinar, introduces WorldPop and today’s speakers. 02:08 – Keynote: The Power of Population Data Professor Andy Tatem unveils Global 2, explaining why high-resolution gridded population data matters and how it improves on Global 1. 19:52 – Panel Discussion: Applications & Challenges Dr. Sabrina Juran (UNFPA) on disaster risk reduction & health access. Dr. Mollie Van Gordon (Gates Foundation) on service delivery & efficiency. Prof. Andy Tatem on global vs. local data trade-offs. 52:09 – Technical Deep Dive: Building Global 2 Dr. Maksym Bondarenko demonstrates the methods, datasets, AI modelling, and new tools developed to make Global 2 accessible. 1:06:39 – Audience Q&A Live questions answered on: Census gaps & uncertainty Comparisons with Global 1 Settlement modelling improvements Age/sex disaggregation National adoption & political sensitivities Annual updates & future of Global 3 1:23:10 – Closing Remarks & Next Steps Future updates, integration into SDG monitoring, and opportunities for user feedback. FTP - ftp://ftp.worldpop.org/GIS/Population/Global_2015_2030/R2025A SpatioTemporal Asset Catalogs (STAC) - https://stac.worldpop.org, https://api.stac.worldpop.org WorldPop GitHub - https://github.com/wpgp QGIS plugin tutorial -    • QGIS plugin for population prediction and ...