Global Area Equipped for Irrigation in the 21st Century (2000– )

The latest AEI dataset is an update of the Global Area Equipped for Irrigation Dataset, 1900–2015. In this version, we used the most recent subnational irrigation statistics from various official sources to produce a gridded global dataset of Area Equipped for Irrigation (AEI) at 5-arcminute resolution for the years 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. The current release incorporates the latest available information for all countries and includes newly developed maps for the year 2020.

For each reference year, the dataset contains six maps, with each map representing a specific scenario based on the cropland data layer used—either consistent with agricultural statistics or HYDE land cover. All spatial layers are provided in WGS84 geographic coordinates (longitude/latitude), with the following specifications:

Extent (X): −180° to +180°
Extent (Y): −90° to +90°
Spatial resolution: 5 arcminutes (0.083333 decimal degrees)
Coordinate reference system: WGS84 (EPSG:4326)
Units: area (hectares)