LULC and socio-economic dataset for Niger Delta (1980–2020)

This dataset supports the study "Four Decades of Land Transformation in Coastal Nigeria: A Spatiotemporal Analysis of Drivers and Trends (1980–2020)".

The dataset contains land use and land cover (LULC) statistics and socio-economic variables used to analyze long-term landscape dynamics in the Niger Delta region.

Contents:
- socio_economic_data.csv: population, urban area, agricultural GDP, and rural employment
- lulc_area_statistics.csv: percentage distribution of LULC classes (1980–2020)
- analysis_script.R: R script used for statistical analysis and visualization

LULC classes include agricultural land, barren land, degraded mangrove, forest, grassland, mangrove, urban area, and water surface.

Data were derived from Landsat imagery and secondary socio-economic sources. Intermediate values were harmonized and interpolated to match decadal intervals.

This dataset is provided to support transparency and reproducibility of the study.