If you want, I can produce exact code examples for a specific format (GeoJSON, shapefile, or RData), a particular country, or an automated script to batch-download multiple countries from GADM v3.6. Which would you like?
Leave a comment or check the official GADM user forum. For automated scripts that download and process GADM 3.6 for multiple countries, see my follow-up post linked below.
: For faster downloads, GADM recommends selecting individual countries from their v3.6 country list .
You can load the .rds files directly into R for spatial analysis: download gadm data version 36 work
Global Administrative Areas (GADM) is a high-resolution database of country administrative boundaries. Researchers, cartographers, and data scientists use it for spatial analysis and mapping. While newer versions exist, Version 3.6 remains widely used due to its stability and compatibility with older academic pipelines.
✅ I downloaded from ✅ I selected GeoPackage or Shapefile ✅ I unzipped and checked for .prj and .cpg files ✅ I loaded into QGIS/ArcGIS/R/Python without encoding errors ✅ I used GID_ * fields for joins ✅ I reprojected if necessary (e.g., for area calculations) ✅ I cited the dataset correctly
If you are creating a small-scale web map, the extreme detail of GADM coastlines is unnecessary. Use the Simplify tool (Douglas-Peucker algorithm) in QGIS or ArcGIS to reduce vertex count and speed up rendering times. If you want, I can produce exact code
Optimized for R users, available as .rds files for direct loading. KMZ: Suitable for viewing in Google Earth . How Administrative Levels Work
For those needing global coverage for large-scale analysis, you can download the full dataset, though you should be aware of the file sizes.
Although the current stable release of the Global Administrative Areas (GADM) For automated scripts that download and process GADM 3
Increasingly granular local government or community areas. Step 1: Locating and Downloading GADM Version 3.6 Data
The recommended standard. It is a single file containing all administrative levels for a country or the world.