The U.S. Census Bureau has a long history of producing annual population estimates by age and
sex for every country in the world at the first (province/state) and in some cases second or lower
administrative levels. Through the populations at risk (Pop@Risk) effort, the Census Bureau
plans to improve access to current international geo-demographic data with the goal of
contributing to response to natural disasters and human-induced crises, in Africa and worldwide.
Over the past decade, digital demographic data, boundary maps in GIS formats, and satellite
images have become increasingly available. Advances in data accuracy and spatial precision can
be achieved by incorporating census data and digital base maps at lower administrative levels,
application of improved subnational demographic projection methods, and through use of
satellite images to map populated places. Image data can also assist in developing demographic
estimates for countries that have no recent census data or limit access to demographic data. This
would be of particular value in much of Africa, where population changes and redistribution
mean that census results become outdated rapidly. Provided via an internet portal, the
Pop@Risk database could be used to improve the efficiency of response to climatic disasters,
famines, and other natural or human-induced crises through provision of demographic estimates
that are more geographically and temporally accurate than has previously been possible.