Canada vs South Korea: Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization)
Canada
17.1%
in 2025
South Korea
18.8%
in 2025
Canada rank
168th
South Korea rank
165th
Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) over time
- Canada
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 18.8% against 17.1% in Canada, a difference of 1.7%.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.1 times Canada's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was South Korea ahead.
Canada ranks 168th and South Korea ranks 165th of 218 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 3 and South Korea in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 27.6% | 67.9% | 40.3% | South Korea |
| 1970s | 24.2% | 52.5% | 28.2% | South Korea |
| 1980s | 23.8% | 35.7% | 11.9% | South Korea |
| 1990s | 22.5% | 22.5% | 0.0% | Canada |
| 2000s | 20.2% | 19.0% | 1.2% | Canada |
| 2010s | 18.7% | 18.3% | 0.4% | Canada |
| 2020s | 17.6% | 18.8% | 1.3% | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rural population, Canada or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 18.8% against 17.1% in Canada as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rural population between Canada and South Korea?
- 1.7%, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and South Korea?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Canada and South Korea rank globally for rural population?
- Canada ranks 168th and South Korea ranks 165th of 218 countries.
- 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.