About the Database

The Global Municipal Database (GMD) was created by UN-Habitat with support from New York University and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.  It contains population and budget data for a sample of cities around the world.

The initial sample of cities in the GMD was taken from the Atlas of Urban Expansion with budget data gathered for about half of these cities.  The data was gathered by the city-based researchers listed below and compiled by UN-Habitat.

This budget data pertains to municipalities.  In metropolitan regions with multiple municipalities, the data in the GDM has data for the municipality with the largest population.

Cities and researchers are encouraged to submit data for additional municipalities and additional years.  To submit data or corrections, please contact UN-Habitat’s Urban Economy & Finance Branch.

For more detailed information about the GMD and its link to the Atlas of Urban Expansion, two papers are available for download:

• GMD Metadata, and Methods and Initial Results
• Linking the GMD with the Atlas of Urban Expansion  

List of Cities and City-Based Researchers