Which has higher rural population, Canada or United Kingdom?

Canada, at 17.1% against 16.7% in United Kingdom as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and United Kingdom?

66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.

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.

Canada vs United Kingdom: Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization)

Canada

17.1%

in 2025

United Kingdom

16.7%

in 2025

Canada rank

168th

United Kingdom rank

169th

Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) over time

Canada
United Kingdom

How they compare

Canada currently reports 17.1% against 16.7% in United Kingdom, a difference of 0.4%.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Canada ahead.

Canada ranks 168th and United Kingdom ranks 169th of 218 countries.

Canada has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Canada	United Kingdom	Difference	Ahead
1960s	27.6%	22.3%	5.3%	Canada
1970s	24.2%	22.5%	1.8%	Canada
1980s	23.8%	21.6%	2.2%	Canada
1990s	22.5%	21.3%	1.2%	Canada
2000s	20.2%	19.6%	0.6%	Canada
2010s	18.7%	18.2%	0.5%	Canada
2020s	17.6%	16.9%	0.7%	Canada

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher rural population, Canada or United Kingdom?: Canada, at 17.1% against 16.7% in United Kingdom as of 2025.
What is the difference in rural population between Canada and United Kingdom?: 0.4%, with Canada ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and United Kingdom?: 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
How do Canada and United Kingdom rank globally for rural population?: Canada ranks 168th and United Kingdom ranks 169th 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.

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Canada vs United Kingdom: Rural population. Statizoid, drawing on World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Retrieved 15 October 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/compare/rural-population-percent-of-total-population/canada/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator: Rural population (% of total population)
Unit: % of total population
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 266 places, 17,556 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed: 15 October 2026

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.