TechnicalGIS

Administrative boundary data by country

Theme
Boundaries & admin
Countries
236
National sources
839
Global datasets
15
Last verified

Country, region and district boundaries from national mapping agencies and statistics offices, plus open global sets such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth and OCHA CODs. This page lists all 839 national boundary sources in the catalogue, country by country, after the 15 global datasets.

Global boundaries & admin datasets

  • Open Maps for Europe (EuroGlobalMap, EuroRegionalMap) (opens in a new tab)

    Download Cost: Free

    EuroGeographics · Europe

    Pan-European topographic and administrative boundary data at 1:1M (EuroGlobalMap) and 1:250k from national mapping agencies.

    • Boundaries & admin
    • Transport
    • Hydrology
    Licence
    CC BY 4.0
    Formats
    GeoPackage, Shapefile, GML
    Link
    mapsforeurope.org

    Verified

  • OCHA Common Operational Datasets (COD) dashboard (opens in a new tab)

    Portal Cost: Free

    UN OCHA · Global

    Status and links for official COD-AB admin boundaries and COD-PS population tables endorsed for humanitarian use in 100+ countries.

    • Boundaries & admin
    • Population
    Licence
    Per dataset (mostly CC BY 3.0 IGO / CC BY 4.0)
    Formats
    Shapefile, GeoJSON, CSV, XLSX
    Link
    data.humdata.org

    Verified

  • Overture Maps divisions (opens in a new tab)

    Download Cost: Free

    Overture Maps Foundation · Global

    Global countries, regions, localities and neighbourhoods with names in many languages and hierarchy links, released monthly.

    • Boundaries & admin
    Licence
    ODbL 1.0
    Formats
    GeoParquet
    Link
    docs.overturemaps.org

    Verified

  • UN Geospatial Hub (opens in a new tab)

    Portal Cost: Free

    United Nations Geospatial · Global

    UN Clear Map basemaps, UN boundary datasets and mission maps; boundaries follow UN cartographic practice.

    • Boundaries & admin
    • Open data portal
    Licence
    UN terms of use; see each item
    Formats
    WMS, Shapefile, API
    Link
    geoportal.un.org

    Verified

  • World Bank Official Boundaries (opens in a new tab)

    Download Cost: Free

    World Bank · Global

    Country and admin-1 boundaries reflecting World Bank cartographic policy on disputed areas, with coastlines and lakes.

    • Boundaries & admin
    Licence
    CC BY 4.0
    Formats
    Shapefile, GeoJSON, GeoPackage
    Link
    datacatalog.worldbank.org

    Verified

  • Eurostat GISCO (opens in a new tab)

    Download Cost: Free

    European Commission (Eurostat) · Europe

    NUTS regions, LAU, countries, coastlines and 1 km population grids for Europe at scales from 1:1M to 1:60M.

    • Boundaries & admin
    • Census & statistics
    Licence
    Eurostat reuse policy (free, attribution; EuroGeographics restrictions on some boundaries)
    Formats
    GeoJSON, Shapefile, TopoJSON
    Link
    ec.europa.eu

    Verified

  • GADM (opens in a new tab)

    Download Cost: Free

    GADM project · Global

    Administrative areas for every country (version 4.1), down to level 5 in places; redistribution and commercial use are not allowed without permission.

    • Boundaries & admin
    Licence
    Free for academic and non-commercial use only (GADM licence)
    Formats
    GeoPackage, Shapefile, GeoJSON
    Link
    gadm.org

    Verified

  • geoBoundaries (opens in a new tab)

    API Cost: Free

    William & Mary geoLab · Global

    Open, attributable ADM0–ADM5 boundaries for 200+ countries with a simple API; the gbOpen release is licensed for commercial use.

    • Boundaries & admin
    Licence
    CC BY 4.0 / ODbL (per boundary)
    Formats
    GeoJSON, Shapefile, TopoJSON
    Link
    geoboundaries.org

    Verified

  • Natural Earth (opens in a new tab)

    Download Cost: Free

    Natural Earth · Global

    Small-scale cultural and physical vectors at 1:10m, 1:50m and 1:110m, ideal for overview maps; powers this page’s globe.

    • Boundaries & admin
    • Hydrology
    • Imagery
    Licence
    Public domain
    Formats
    Shapefile, GeoPackage
    Link
    naturalearthdata.com

    Verified

  • Marine Regions (maritime boundaries and EEZ) (opens in a new tab)

    Download Cost: Free

    Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) · Global

    Exclusive economic zones, territorial seas and IHO sea areas (Maritime Boundaries v12); not for legal use.

    • Marine & coastal
    • Boundaries & admin
    Licence
    CC BY 4.0
    Formats
    Shapefile, GeoPackage, GeoJSON, WFS
    Link
    marineregions.org

    Verified

  • Protected Planet (WDPA) (opens in a new tab)

    Download Cost: Free

    UNEP-WCMC / IUCN · Global

    World Database on Protected Areas and OECMs, updated monthly, with polygons, IUCN categories and designation dates.

    • Environment
    • Boundaries & admin
    Licence
    Free for non-commercial use (WDPA terms); commercial via IBAT
    Formats
    Shapefile, File geodatabase, CSV, API
    Link
    protectedplanet.net

    Verified

  • Geofabrik downloads (opens in a new tab)

    Download Cost: Free

    Geofabrik · Global

    Daily OpenStreetMap extracts by continent, country and region as .osm.pbf, plus free Shapefile layers for smaller regions.

    • Transport
    • Boundaries & admin
    • Buildings
    Licence
    ODbL 1.0
    Formats
    PBF, Shapefile
    Link
    download.geofabrik.de

    Verified

  • Humanitarian Data Exchange (opens in a new tab)

    Portal Cost: Free

    UN OCHA · Global

    Humanitarian open data portal with 20,000+ datasets including OCHA common operational datasets (admin boundaries, population) for every crisis country.

    • Open data portal
    • Boundaries & admin
    • Population
    • Census & statistics
    Licence
    Per dataset (mostly CC BY 4.0 / CC BY 3.0 IGO)
    Link
    data.humdata.org

    Verified

  • OpenStreetMap (opens in a new tab)

    API Cost: Free

    OpenStreetMap contributors · Global

    The free, editable map of the world, updated by the minute; query it with Overpass or OSMnx (see our OSMnx tutorial).

    • Transport
    • Boundaries & admin
    • Hydrology
    • Buildings
    • Addresses & cadastre
    Licence
    ODbL 1.0
    Formats
    PBF, XML
    Link
    openstreetmap.org

    Verified

  • Overture Maps (opens in a new tab)

    Download Cost: Free

    Overture Maps Foundation · Global

    Monthly releases of buildings (2.5 bn+), places, addresses, transportation and divisions (admin boundaries) as cloud-native GeoParquet on S3 and Azure.

    • Transport
    • Boundaries & admin
    • Buildings
    • Addresses & cadastre
    Licence
    ODbL 1.0 (buildings, transportation, divisions); CDLA Permissive 2.0 (places, base)
    Formats
    GeoParquet
    Link
    docs.overturemaps.org

    Verified

Boundaries & admin sources by country

Africa 56 countries

Algeria 3
Angola 3
Benin 3
Botswana 4
Burkina Faso 3
Burundi 3
Cabo Verde 2
Cameroon 3
Central African Republic 3
Chad 3
Comoros 2
Côte d'Ivoire 3
Democratic Republic of the Congo 5
Djibouti 3
Egypt 3
Equatorial Guinea 3
Eritrea 3
Eswatini 3
Ethiopia 4
Gabon 3
Ghana 4
Guinea 3
Guinea-Bissau 3
Kenya 5
Lesotho 3
Liberia 3
Libya 3
Madagascar 3
Malawi 3
Mali 3
Mauritania 3
Mauritius 2
Morocco 5
Mozambique 3
Namibia 5
Niger 3
Nigeria 7
Republic of the Congo 3
Rwanda 5
Saint Helena 2
São Tomé and Príncipe 2
Senegal 5
Seychelles 2
Sierra Leone 3
Somalia 3
South Africa 7
South Sudan 3
Sudan 3
Tanzania 5
The Gambia 3
Togo 3
Tunisia 6
Uganda 4
Western Sahara 1
Zambia 4
Zimbabwe 3

Asia 51 countries

Afghanistan 3
Armenia 4
Azerbaijan 3
Bahrain 4
Bangladesh 4
Bhutan 4
Brunei 3
Cambodia 3
China 5
Cyprus 2
Georgia 4
Hong Kong 4
India 5
Indonesia 4
Iran 3
Iraq 3
Israel 4
Japan 8
Jordan 3
Kazakhstan 3
Kuwait 3
Kyrgyzstan 3
Laos 3
Lebanon 3
Macao 1
Malaysia 5
Maldives 3
Mongolia 5
Myanmar 4
Nepal 5
North Korea 3
Oman 3
Pakistan 4
Palestine 4
Philippines 4
Qatar 4
Saudi Arabia 4
Singapore 5
South Korea 4
Sri Lanka 4
Syria 3
Taiwan 5
Tajikistan 3
Thailand 3
Timor-Leste 3
Türkiye 6
Turkmenistan 2
United Arab Emirates 4
Uzbekistan 3
Vietnam 3
Yemen 3

Europe 50 countries

Åland Islands 2
Albania 4
Andorra 3
Austria 4
Belarus 4
Belgium 6
Bosnia and Herzegovina 4
Bulgaria 3
Croatia 4
Czechia 6
Denmark 4
Estonia 4
Faroe Islands 3
Finland 4
France 7
Germany 4
Greece 4
Guernsey 4
Hungary 4
Iceland 3
Ireland 5
Isle of Man 4
Italy 5
Jersey 2
Kosovo 4
Latvia 4
Liechtenstein 3
Lithuania 4
Luxembourg 4
Malta 3
Moldova 4
Monaco 2
Montenegro 2
Netherlands 5
North Macedonia 3
Norway 4
Poland 6
Portugal 4
Romania 5
Russia 3
San Marino 3
Serbia 3
Slovakia 5
Slovenia 4
Spain 5
Sweden 4
Switzerland 6
Ukraine 3
United Kingdom 18
Vatican City 3

North America 38 countries

Anguilla 1
Antigua and Barbuda 1
Aruba 1
Bahamas 2
Barbados 1
Belize 2
Bermuda 1
British Virgin Islands 1
Canada 6
Cayman Islands 1
Costa Rica 4
Cuba 2
Curaçao 2
Dominica 1
Dominican Republic 4
El Salvador 2
Greenland 3
Grenada 2
Guatemala 3
Haiti 4
Honduras 4
Jamaica 3
Mexico 5
Montserrat 1
Nicaragua 3
Panama 4
Puerto Rico 4
Saint Barthélemy 3
Saint Kitts and Nevis 1
Saint Lucia 2
Saint Martin 2
Saint Pierre and Miquelon 3
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1
Sint Maarten 1
Trinidad and Tobago 1
Turks and Caicos Islands 1
United States 8
United States Virgin Islands 2

South America 14 countries

Argentina 6
Bolivia 3
Brazil 7
Chile 3
Colombia 6
Ecuador 4
Falkland Islands 2
Guyana 3
Paraguay 4
Peru 5
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 2
Suriname 2
Uruguay 3
Venezuela 3

Oceania 24 countries

American Samoa 3
Australia 10
Cook Islands 3
Fiji 5
French Polynesia 4
Guam 3
Kiribati 5
Marshall Islands 5
Micronesia 5
Nauru 4
New Caledonia 4
New Zealand 4
Niue 4
Norfolk Island 1
Northern Mariana Islands 3
Palau 4
Papua New Guinea 3
Pitcairn Islands 2
Samoa 3
Solomon Islands 4
Tonga 5
Tuvalu 4
Vanuatu 5
Wallis and Futuna Islands 3

Antarctica 3 countries

Antarctica 5
French Southern and Antarctic Lands 1
Heard Island and McDonald Islands 2

Tutorials that use boundaries & admin data