Ethiopia vs Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization)
Ethiopia
75.9%
in 2025
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
55.3%
in 2025
Ethiopia rank
11th
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank
11th
Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) over time
- Ethiopia
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
How they compare
Ethiopia currently reports 75.9% against 55.3% in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), a difference of 20.6%.
That makes Ethiopia's figure about 1.4 times Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)'s.
Across all 66 years both countries report, Ethiopia has been ahead every year.
Ethiopia ranks 11th and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 11th of 218 countries.
Ethiopia has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ethiopia | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 92.3% | 83.9% | 8.4% | Ethiopia |
| 1970s | 90.7% | 79.3% | 11.3% | Ethiopia |
| 1980s | 88.6% | 74.5% | 14.2% | Ethiopia |
| 1990s | 86.2% | 69.6% | 16.6% | Ethiopia |
| 2000s | 84.1% | 65.1% | 19.0% | Ethiopia |
| 2010s | 80.7% | 60.4% | 20.3% | Ethiopia |
| 2020s | 77.1% | 56.6% | 20.5% | Ethiopia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rural population, Ethiopia or Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Ethiopia, at 75.9% against 55.3% in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rural population between Ethiopia and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- 20.6%, with Ethiopia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Ethiopia and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank globally for rural population?
- Ethiopia ranks 11th and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 11th 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.