UNHCR Second-Level Administrative Boundaries with OCHA Pcodes

UNHCR provides this geospatial layer of second-level administrative boundaries (admin2) aggregated from government and NGO sources. Updated in March 2026, the data incorporates OCHA Common Operational Datasets (CODs) and Pcodes to ensure interoperability across humanitarian GIS systems. The dataset is available in multiple formats including KMZ, QGIS, and ESRI ArcMap project files.

Use Cases

• Spatial analysis of humanitarian needs using admin2 boundary geometries
• Joining external demographic data to geographic regions via OCHA Pcodes
• Creating thematic maps in QGIS or ESRI ArcMap for regional reporting

Strengths

• Standardized using OCHA Pcodes
• Available in KMZ, QGIS, and ESRI formats
• Aggregated from official government and UN sources

Limitations

• Boundaries do not imply official UN endorsement
• Specific attribute column names are not documented in the source metadata

Provenance

Source

UNHCR - The UN Refugee Agency

Collection Method

Aggregated from official government sources, UN bodies, and NGOs.

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.

Geography

Global