Poverty Mapping

Global Subnational Poverty Data

At a global scale, poverty is usually represented by national-level indicators such as gross domestic product or population living on less than one U.S. dollar per day. These indicators are not available at a subnational level for most countries. As a result, CIESIN constructed gridded global subnational data sets of poverty that are based on estimates of subnational infant mortality and child malnutrition data, recognizing that both are proxies for poverty and welfare rather than direct measures. 

Although the main input data were drawn from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), national Human Development Reports (HDRs), and other national sources, the global poverty data utilized different methodology for generating the subnational gridded products.

The following contains detailed information on the inputs and methodologies for the global subnational poverty data:

• Global Subnational Prevalence of Child Malnutrition, v1 (1990 – 2002) was constructed using methodology described in the data set documentation
• Global Subnational Infant Mortality Rates, v1 (2000) was constructed using methodology described in the following publication:
  • Storeygard, A., D. Balk, M. Levy, and G. Deane. 2008. The Global Distribution of Infant Mortality: A Subnational Spatial View. Population, Space and Place, 14(3): 209-229.  https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.484
• Global Subnational Infant Mortality Rates, v2 (2015) was constructed using methodology described in the data set documentation

Further documentation of data set development and applications of the data include the following:

Papers and Presentations:

Levy, M. et al. 2005. The Geographical Correlates of Global Poverty. Presentation at the Open Meeting of the Human Dimensions of Global Change Community, Bonn, Germany, 9–13 October. [View Presentation]

Balk, D., A. Storeygard, M. Levy, J. Gaskell, M. Sharma and R. Flor. 2005. Child Hunger in the Developing World: An Analysis of Environmental and Social Correlates. Food Policy 30 (5-6): 584–611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2005.10.007 [Access local copy here]

Wirth, M., D. Balk, E. Delamonica, A. Storeygard, E. Sacks, and A. Minujin. 2006. Setting the Stage for Equity-Sensitive Monitoring of the Maternal and Child Health MDGs.  Bulletin of the World Health Organization. https://doi.org/10.2471/BLT.04.019984 [Access local copy]

Wirth, M., E. Delamonica, E. Sacks, D. Balk, A. Storeygard, and A. Minujin. 2006. Monitoring Health Equity in the MDGs: A Practical Guide. New York: CIESIN and UNICEF, pp. 71. [Access local copy]

Here are some other useful references:

Bigman, D. and H. Fofack. 2000. Geographic Targeting for Poverty Alleviation: Methodology and Applications. World Bank Regional and Sectoral Studies. Washington DC. [View Document]

Deichmann, U. 1999. Geographic Aspects of Inequality and Poverty. World Bank. 13 pp. [View Document]

DHS StatMapper - Dynamic Maps of Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) Data. [View Page]