Spatially harmonized second-level geography
Most countries include second-level geographic detail in their sample data. IPUMS creates harmonized variables providing geographically stable second-level subnational units over time. Second-level geography for place of residence is available through a single global variable, GEOLEV2, and its associated shapefile. Harmonized second-level variables and shapefiles are also created for each country. Where available, IPUMS also provides harmonized migration variables whose codes match the place-of-residence variables.
Changes over time in administrative boundaries are handled by combining the affected geographic units to create larger, temporally-stable units comprised of two or more districts, counties, etc. The units created in this process do not cross first-level boundaries (i.e., they fully nest within the first-level harmonized units). South Africa 2001 is an exception in this regard.
The attribute data for the global file include codes for the GEOLEV2 variable, the BPLCOUNTRY (country of birth) variable, and the COUNTRY (country of residence) variable. The first three digits of GEOLEV2 give the country code, the next three digits specify the first-level geographic unit GEOLEV1, and the last three digits specify the second-level geographic unit within the first-level unit.
Download global GEOLEV2 shapefile (.shp)
The table below lists the second-level geography identified for each IPUMS International country and provides GIS shapefiles for the sample years represented in the spatially harmonized geography and migration variables. Some countries (e.g. Chile and Morocco) have two sets of spatially harmonized geographic variables due to substantial reorganization of administrative boundaries between census years. Other countries do not provide second-level geographic detail in the sample data for place of residence or migration or both. Note that not all countries that provide second-level migration data have been harmonized at this time. These variables, identified as "not yet available" in the table, will be added in future updates.
| Country | Second-level geography | Second-level geography variable | Corresponding second-level migration variables | GIS files |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Department | GEO2_AR | MIG2_5_AR | 1970-2010 |
| Armenia | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| Austria | ENUTS3 | GEO2_AT | MIG2_1_AT | 1971-2011 |
| Bangladesh | Zilla | GEO2_BD | n.a. | 1991-2011 |
| Belarus | Raion | GEO2_BY | n.a. | 2009 |
| Benin | Commune | GEO2_BJ | MIG2_P_BJ | 1979-2013 |
| Bolivia | Province | GEO2_BO | MIG2_5_BO | 1976-2012 |
| Botswana | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| Brazil | Municipality | GEO2_BR | MIG2_P_BR MIG2_5_BR |
1980-2010 |
| Burkina Faso | Province | GEO2_BF | MIG2_1_BF | 1996-2006 |
| Cambodia | District | GEO2_KH | MIG2_P_KH | 1998-2019 |
| Cameroon | Department | GEO2_CM | MIG2_P_CM MIG2_5_CM MIG2_11_CM |
1976-2005 |
| Canada | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| Chile | Department | GEO2ALT_CL | n.a. | 1960-1970 |
| Chile | Commune | GEO2_CL | MIG2_5_CL | 1982-2017* |
| China | Prefecture/city | GEO2_CN | MIG2_P_CN | 1982-2000 |
| Colombia | Municipality | GEO2_CO | Not yet available | 1973-2005 |
| Costa Rica | Canton | GEO2_CR | MIG2_P_CR MIG2_5_CR |
1963-2011 |
| Côte d'Ivoire | Department | GEO2_CI | MIG2_1_CI | 1988-1998 |
| Cuba | Municipality | GEO2_CU | MIG2_P_CU | 2002-2012 |
| Dominican Republic | Municipality | GEO2_DO | Not yet available | 1960-2010 |
| Ecuador | Canton | GEO2_EC | MIG2_P_EC MIG2_5_EC |
1962-2010 |
| Egypt | District | GEO2_EG | Not yet available | 1986-2006 |
| El Salvador | Municipality | GEO2_SV | MIG2_P_SV | 1992-2007 |
| Ethiopia | Zone | GEO2_ET | MIG2_P_ET | 1994-2007 |
| Fiji | Province | GEO2_FJ | MIG2_5_FJ | 1966-2014 |
| Finland | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| France | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| Germany | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| Ghana | District | GEO2_GH | MIG2_5_GH | 2000-2010 |
| Greece | Municipality | GEO2_GR | n.a. | 1971-2011 |
| Guatemala | Municipality | GEO2_GT | MIG2_P_GT MIG2_5_GT |
1964-2002 |
| Guinea | Sub-prefecture | GEO2_GN | n.a. | 1996-2014 |
| Haiti | Arrondisement | GEO2_HT | MIG2_P_HT MIG2_5_HT |
1971-2003 |
| Honduras | Municipality | GEO2_HN | MIG2_5_HN | 1961-2001 |
| Hungary | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| India | District | GEO2_IN | n.a. | 1987-2009 |
| Indonesia | Regency | GEO2_ID | Not yet available | 1971-2010 |
| Iran | Sub-province | GEO2_IR | MIG2_P_IR | 2006-2011 |
| Iraq | District (Qadah) | GEO2_IQ | Not yet available | 1997 |
| Ireland | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| Israel | Subdistrict | GEO2_IL | MIG2_5_IL | 1972-1995 |
| Italy | Province | GEO2_IT | MIG2_1_IT | 2014-2020** |
| Jamaica | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| Jordan | District | GEO2_JO | n.a. | 2004 |
| Kenya | District | GEO2_KE | MIG2_1_KE | 1969-2009 |
| Kyrgyzstan | District | GEO2_KG | Not yet available | 1999-2009 |
| Laos | District | GEO2_LA | MIG2_P_LA MIG2_10_LA |
1995-2015 |
| Lesotho | Constituency | GEO2_LS | n.a. | 2006 |
| Liberia | District | GEO2_LR | n.a. | 1974 |
| Malawi | Traditional Authority (TA) | GEO2_MW | MIG2_1_MW | 1998-2008 |
| Malaysia | Administrative District | GEO2_MY | MIG2_P_MY MIG2_5_MY |
1970-2000 |
| Mali | Circle | GEO2_ML | MIG2_P_ML | 1987-2009 |
| Mauritius | Municipal Ward/Village Council Area | GEO2_MU | MIG2_5_MU | 1990-2011 |
| Mexico | Municipality | GEO2_MX | MIG2_5_MX | 1960-2020 |
| Mongolia | Municipality | GEO2_MN | n.a. | 2000 |
| Morocco | Province | GEO2ALT_MA | MIG2ALT_P_MA MIG2ALT_1_MA MIG2ALT_7_MA |
1982-2004 |
| Morocco | Province | GEO2_MA | n.a. | 2014* |
| Mozambique | District | GEO2_MZ | MIG2_1_MZ MIG2_5_MZ |
1997-2007 |
| Myanmar | District | GEO2_MM | MIG2_P_MM | 2014 |
| Nepal | District | GEO2_NP | MIG2_5_NP | 2001-2011 |
| Netherlands | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| Nicaragua | Municipality | GEO2_NI | MIG2_5_NI | 1971-2005 |
| Nigeria | Local Government Area | GEO2_NG | n.a. | 2007-2010 |
| Pakistan | Administrative Division | GEO2_PK | MIG2_8_PK | 1973-1998 |
| Palestine | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| Panama | District | GEO2_PA | MIG2_P_PA | 1960-2010 |
| Papua New Guinea | District | GEO2_PG | Not yet available | 1980-2011 |
| Paraguay | District | GEO2_PY | MIG2_5_PY | 1962-2002 |
| Peru | Province | GEO2_PE | MIG2_5_PE | 1993-2017 |
| Philippines | Municipality | GEO2_PH | Not yet available | 1990-2010 |
| Poland | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| Portugal | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| Puerto Rico | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| Romania | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| Russia | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| Rwanda | District | GEO2_RW | Not yet available | 2012* |
| Saint Lucia | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| Senegal | Department | GEO2_SN | MIG2_1_SN MIG2_5_SN MIG2_10_SN |
1988-2013 |
| Sierra Leone | Chiefdom/Ward | GEO2_SL | MIG2_5_SL MIG2_14_SL |
2004-2015 |
| Slovakia | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| Slovenia | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| South Africa | District Council | GEO2_ZA | MIG2_P_ZA | 2001-2016 |
| South Sudan | County | GEO2_SS | n.a. | 2008 |
| Spain | Province | GEO2_ES | MIG2_P_ES MIG2_1_ES MIG2_5_ES MIG2_10_ES |
1981-2020 |
| Sudan | County | GEO2_SD | n.a. | 2008 |
| Suriname | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| Switzerland | Regional Planning Unit | GEO2_CH | n.a. | 2011 |
| Tanzania | District | GEO2_TZ | MIG2_1_TZ | 1988-2012 |
| Thailand | District | GEO2_TH | n.a. | 1990-2000 |
| Togo | Prefecture | GEO2_TG | MIG2_P_TG | 2010* |
| Trinidad and Tobago | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| Turkey | District | GEO2_TR | n.a. | 1985-2000 |
| Uganda | County | GEO2_UG | n.a. | 1991-2014 |
| Ukraine | Raion | GEO2_UA | n.a. | 2001 |
| United Kingdom | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
| United States | PUMA | GEO2ALT_US | n.a. | 1980-2010 |
| United States | PUMA | GEO2_US | n.a. | 2000-2020 |
| Uruguay | Census Section | GEO2_UY | n.a. | 1985-2011 |
| Venezuela | Municipality | GEO2_VE | MIG2_5_VE | 1971-2001 |
| Vietnam | District | GEO2_VN | MIG2_5_VN | 2009-2019 |
| Zambia | District | GEO2_ZM | MIG2_1_ZM | 1990-2010 |
| Zimbabwe | District | GEO2_ZW | MIG2_5_ZW | 2012 |
n.a. = Not available in the sample data.
*Previous sample years were not included in this file due to large geographic restructuring between sample years.
**This file corresponds only to Labor Force Survey samples.
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