24 September 2018: The first database of its kind, UN-Habitat’s Global Municipal Database (GMD) offers a standard set of indicators and local-level, per capita budget data for over 100 cities. The database, launched in September 2018, aims to highlight the importance of local financial data to policy- and decision-making.

The GMD was created by UN-Habitat with support from New York University and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and was compiled in collaboration with researchers and municipal employees in both developed and developing countries. The Database will serve as a basis for the creation of a tool to increase understanding of municipal finances. Such understanding, a UN-Habitat press release emphasizes, is key to facilitating dialogues across stakeholder groups, including municipal residents, central governments, donors and the private sector.

The Database can help municipalities benchmark progress on SDG 11 and the New Urban Agenda.

Featuring information on cities across five continents, the GMD notes the year from which the data were taken and statistics on population, growth rate, total budget, budget per capita, sources of revenue, expenditures, and debt service payments. It notes municipal expenditures on building codes, public transit, streets, sanitation, waste management, water and energy, among other areas.

UN-Habitat notes that the GMD can be used to help municipalities benchmark and monitor their progress on SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and the New Urban Agenda (NUA). At the international level, the database can be used by think tanks and development practitioners to assess macro-level trends and policy issues. [UN-Habitat press release] [Global Municipal Database]