Urban land use of national economic sectors in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area from 2015–2022

Land underpins nearly all human activities, with different economic sectors exhibiting varying degrees of dependence on land resources. Sector-specific land use analysis is essential for optimizing resource allocation, improving land-use efficiency, and promoting sustainable urban development. However, existing land-use classification data are often coarse-grained and lack the detail needed to capture land use at the level of national economic sectors. To address this limitation, this study constructs a sector-specific land use dataset covering 97 and 42 national economic sectors across 11 cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for the period 2015-2022. This dataset enables systematic examination of sectoral land use patterns, identification of high land-consuming and low-efficiency sectors, and provides empirical evidence to guide industrial restructuring, spatial planning, and resource-environment policy design. Moreover, the dataset can be integrated with complementary indicators (e.g., carbon emissions, water footprints) to support ecological management and low-carbon development strategies.