Provincial Per Capita Ecological Footprint Dataset of China, 2000–2020

The ecological footprint (EF) was selected, which measures the biologically productive area needed to sustain resource use and waste absorption by humans. The EF is particularly advantageous because it provides a clear, quantifiable metric that integrates various aspects of human consumption—such as energy use, land use, and carbon emissions—into a single measure . Moreover, it enables cross-regional and temporal comparisons, making it an effective tool for assessing environmental sustainability and identifying areas where human activities exceed ecological limits. Especially since the 21st century, the EF has been widely used in global and regional environmental sustainability. Following previous research (Hong et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2024), we calculate the land-based EF in national hectares.