The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Population distribution, settlement patterns and accessibility across Africa in 2010

Population distribution, settlement patterns and accessibility across Africa in 2010
Population distribution, settlement patterns and accessibility across Africa in 2010
The spatial distribution of populations and settlements across a country and their interconnectivity and accessibility from urban areas are important for delivering healthcare, distributing resources and economic development. However, existing spatially explicit population data across Africa are generally based on outdated, low resolution input demographic data, and provide insufficient detail to quantify rural settlement patterns and, thus, accurately measure population concentration and accessibility. Here we outline approaches to developing a new high resolution population distribution dataset for Africa and analyse rural accessibility to population centers. Contemporary population count data were combined with detailed satellite-derived settlement extents to map population distributions across Africa at a finer spatial resolution than ever before. Substantial heterogeneity in settlement patterns, population concentration and spatial accessibility to major population centres is exhibited across the continent. In Africa, 90% of the population is concentrated in less than 21% of the land surface and the average per-person travel time to settlements of more than 50,000 inhabitants is around 3.5 hours, with Central and East Africa displaying the longest average travel times. The analyses highlight large inequities in access, the isolation of many rural populations and the challenges that exist between countries and regions in providing access to services. The datasets presented are freely available as part of the AfriPop project, providing an evidence base for guiding strategic decisions.
africa, emigration and immigration, geography, health services accessibility, humans, population dynamics, time factors, travel
1932-6203
e31743-[8pp]
Linard, C.
40dc396f-bbf0-4ae2-8732-7a73447a9100
Gilbert, M.
1783ad6f-c32e-46dd-8de0-eb0e139afce0
Snow, R.W.
1df934dd-70f4-4bf1-8a98-7feb0207d796
Noor, A.M.
241236c3-43df-47b0-bcab-ff7c25318cc6
Tatem, A.J.
6c6de104-a5f9-46e0-bb93-a1a7c980513e
Linard, C.
40dc396f-bbf0-4ae2-8732-7a73447a9100
Gilbert, M.
1783ad6f-c32e-46dd-8de0-eb0e139afce0
Snow, R.W.
1df934dd-70f4-4bf1-8a98-7feb0207d796
Noor, A.M.
241236c3-43df-47b0-bcab-ff7c25318cc6
Tatem, A.J.
6c6de104-a5f9-46e0-bb93-a1a7c980513e

Linard, C., Gilbert, M., Snow, R.W., Noor, A.M. and Tatem, A.J. (2012) Population distribution, settlement patterns and accessibility across Africa in 2010. PLoS ONE, 7 (2), e31743-[8pp]. (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0031743). (PMID:22363717)

Record type: Article

Abstract

The spatial distribution of populations and settlements across a country and their interconnectivity and accessibility from urban areas are important for delivering healthcare, distributing resources and economic development. However, existing spatially explicit population data across Africa are generally based on outdated, low resolution input demographic data, and provide insufficient detail to quantify rural settlement patterns and, thus, accurately measure population concentration and accessibility. Here we outline approaches to developing a new high resolution population distribution dataset for Africa and analyse rural accessibility to population centers. Contemporary population count data were combined with detailed satellite-derived settlement extents to map population distributions across Africa at a finer spatial resolution than ever before. Substantial heterogeneity in settlement patterns, population concentration and spatial accessibility to major population centres is exhibited across the continent. In Africa, 90% of the population is concentrated in less than 21% of the land surface and the average per-person travel time to settlements of more than 50,000 inhabitants is around 3.5 hours, with Central and East Africa displaying the longest average travel times. The analyses highlight large inequities in access, the isolation of many rural populations and the challenges that exist between countries and regions in providing access to services. The datasets presented are freely available as part of the AfriPop project, providing an evidence base for guiding strategic decisions.

Other
fetchObject.action_uri=info_doi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0031743&representation=PDF - Version of Record
Available under License Other.
Download (666kB)

More information

Published date: 21 February 2012
Keywords: africa, emigration and immigration, geography, health services accessibility, humans, population dynamics, time factors, travel
Organisations: Geography & Environment, PHEW – S (Spatial analysis and modelling), Population, Health & Wellbeing (PHeW)

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 344431
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/344431
ISSN: 1932-6203
PURE UUID: f4e97f05-642d-42c4-aaf1-fa8ca8c96609
ORCID for A.J. Tatem: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-7270-941X

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 05 Nov 2012 12:12
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:43

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: C. Linard
Author: M. Gilbert
Author: R.W. Snow
Author: A.M. Noor
Author: A.J. Tatem ORCID iD

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×