Africa Eastern and Southern vs Sri Lanka: Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization)
Africa Eastern and Southern
61.3%
in 2025
Sri Lanka
79.5%
in 2025
Africa Eastern and Southern rank
7th
Sri Lanka rank
6th
Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) over time
- Africa Eastern and Southern
- Sri Lanka
How they compare
Sri Lanka currently reports 79.5% against 61.3% in Africa Eastern and Southern, a difference of 18.2%.
That makes Sri Lanka's figure about 1.3 times Africa Eastern and Southern's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Africa Eastern and Southern ahead.
Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 7th and Sri Lanka ranks 6th of 47 groups.
Across the 7 decades both report, Africa Eastern and Southern averaged higher in 2 and Sri Lanka in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Africa Eastern and Southern | Sri Lanka | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 84.2% | 80.3% | 3.9% | Africa Eastern and Southern |
| 1970s | 81.1% | 77.8% | 3.3% | Africa Eastern and Southern |
| 1980s | 77.4% | 79.7% | 2.3% | Sri Lanka |
| 1990s | 73.2% | 83.8% | 10.6% | Sri Lanka |
| 2000s | 69.7% | 84.7% | 15.0% | Sri Lanka |
| 2010s | 65.7% | 81.4% | 15.7% | Sri Lanka |
| 2020s | 62.4% | 79.9% | 17.5% | Sri Lanka |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rural population, Africa Eastern and Southern or Sri Lanka?
- Sri Lanka, at 79.5% against 61.3% in Africa Eastern and Southern as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rural population between Africa Eastern and Southern and Sri Lanka?
- 18.2%, with Sri Lanka ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Africa Eastern and Southern and Sri Lanka?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Africa Eastern and Southern and Sri Lanka rank globally for rural population?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 7th and Sri Lanka ranks 6th of 47 groups.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.