The Statistics for Development Division (SDD) of the Pacific Community provides geospatial support for National Statistics Offices and other partners working in the region. Integrating Geographic Information Systems technology with statistical data, it is possible to transform complex data from censuses and surveys into powerful and accessible visual and spatial information to support evidence-based decision-making across the region.
Mapping Data by Country or Territory
PopGIS
Population Grid
Coastal Population
Low Elevation Coastal Zone
PopGIS
PopGIS3 makes it easy to map statistical data across the territory in one island or town of a country to the next. This may reveal local patterns that might otherwise be missed. It is also possible to add other layers like school or hospital locations or use a satellite image as a background to get the full picture and create clearer insights for better understanding and planning.
Population Grids 2025 - High-Resolution Population Grids for the Pacific
The Statistics for Development Division (SDD) produces high-resolution population grids for Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) as a powerful alternative to traditional statistics tied to administrative areas. These grids represent population distribution in detailed 100m x 100m (1-hectare) cells. Because the data is independent of administrative boundaries, it is the most suitable option for analyzing phenomena such as disaster risk (e.g., flood exposure), resource management, and public health planning including responses to disease outbreaks.
SDD's population grids are modeled using the most recent census data, which is projected to the current year to ensure timeliness. For countries where comprehensive data is limited, such as Papua New Guinea, the US Territories, New Caledonia, and French Polynesia, modeled datasets from WorldPop are recommended as a complementary resource.
Coastal Population
Population living in 1, 5, and 10km coastal zones
The study estimates populations within 1, 5, and 10 km zones from the coastline by combining national census data with two dasymetric mapping systems: the public domain SEDAC-CIESIN GPWv4 and proprietary LandScan datasets.
The coastal population estimates have been updated with new population datasets published by SDD and WorldPop and can be accessed in .Stat Data Explorer.
For more information and findings about this spatial analysis please check on the paper published in 2019.
Coastal proximity of populations in 22 Pacific Island Countries and Territories
Population in Low Elevation Coastal Zones (0-10m and 0-20m above sea level)
To provide a more realistic assessment of climate change impacts, this analysis identifies the proportion of the population living in Low Elevation Coastal Zones (LECZs) at 0-10 and 0-20 meters above sea level. The LECZs were delineated using the "bathtub" method on the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Global Digital Surface Model. To estimate populations within these zones, we utilized high-resolution 100m² population grids from the Pacific Community's (SPC) Statistics for Development Division (SDD), supplemented with WorldPop datasets for countries where SDD population grids are not available. This analysis is regularly updated with the latest population data from both SDD and WorldPop to ensure the most current and accurate assessment.