Downloads

Our boundaries and datasets come at three different levels of granularity.

DDL Global Urban Boundary

Mega-agglomerations are one unit.

e.g. Delhi + Gurgaon + Faridabad + etc. are all one unit

Unique identifier: ua_id

ADM1 splits

Mega-agglomerations are divided at global ADM1 boundaries.

e.g. Delhi State, Delhi (Haryana), Delhi (UP) are each a separate unit

Unique identifier: ua_id + adm1_split_id

ADM2 splits

Mega-agglomerations are divided at global ADM2 boundaries.

e.g. Each district of Delhi is a separate unit

Unique identifier: ua_id + adm2_split_id

DDL Global Urban Boundaries

v0.1

Urban agglomeration polygons with stable identifiers, published globally.

9,849 UAs · 2025 · 9.1 MB

Download .zip

Includes GeoPackage

DDL Global Urban Boundaries ADM1 Splits

v0.1

Administrative level-1 splits of parent DDL urban agglomeration polygons.

387 features · 2025 · 2.1 MB

Download .zip

Includes GeoPackage

DDL Global Urban Boundaries ADM2 Splits

v0.1

Administrative level-2 splits of parent DDL urban agglomeration polygons.

3,130 features · 2025 · 10.7 MB

Download .zip

Includes GeoPackage

DDL Historical Urban Population

v0.1

Population totals for DDL UAs, and UA-ADM splits, by year (1975–2025).

681,666 rows · 1975-2025 · 5.8 MB

Download .parquet

Parquet table

Citation

Development Data Lab. (2026). Development Data Lab Global Urban Boundaries 2026 [Dataset]. Retrieved from https://cities.devdatalab.org/downloads

Released under CC BY 4.0.

By accepting data provided by the Development Data Lab (DDL), you agree to the following conditions of release and acknowledge the following disclaimers: Neither DDL nor the contributors of data to DDL shall be held liable for any improper or incorrect use or application of the data provided, and assume no responsibility for the use or application of the data or information derived from interpretation of the data. In no event shall DDL or its collaborators be liable for any direct, indirect, or incidental damages arising from the use or application of these data. This disclaimer of liability applies to any damages or injury, including but not limited to those caused by any failure of performance, error, omission, defect, delay in operation or transmission, computer virus, alteration, use, application, analysis, or interpretation of data. No warranty, expressed or implied, is made regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, reliability, or usefulness of any data provided. These data are provided on an "as is" basis. All warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to fitness for a particular use, freedom from computer viruses, and non-infringement of proprietary rights, are disclaimed. Data are added and changed periodically, and data may become out-of-date quickly. It is recommended that the user not let a significant period of time elapse between obtaining and using the data.