Which has higher rural population, France or Malaysia?

Malaysia, at 22.6% against 21.2% in France as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for France and Malaysia?

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.

France vs Malaysia: Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization)

France

21.2%

in 2025

Malaysia

22.6%

in 2025

France rank

154th

Malaysia rank

151st

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

France
Malaysia

How they compare

Malaysia currently reports 22.6% against 21.2% in France, a difference of 1.4%.

That makes Malaysia's figure about 1.1 times France's.

Across all 66 years both countries report, Malaysia has been ahead every year.

France ranks 154th and Malaysia ranks 151st of 218 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade	France	Malaysia	Difference	Ahead
1960s	33.6%	72.4%	38.8%	Malaysia
1970s	27.3%	68.7%	41.4%	Malaysia
1980s	26.4%	59.8%	33.3%	Malaysia
1990s	25.0%	44.9%	19.9%	Malaysia
2000s	22.8%	33.6%	10.8%	Malaysia
2010s	22.2%	26.9%	4.8%	Malaysia
2020s	21.2%	23.8%	2.6%	Malaysia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher rural population, France or Malaysia?: Malaysia, at 22.6% against 21.2% in France as of 2025.
What is the difference in rural population between France and Malaysia?: 1.4%, with Malaysia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for France and Malaysia?: 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
How do France and Malaysia rank globally for rural population?: France ranks 154th and Malaysia ranks 151st 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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France vs Malaysia: 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/france/malaysia/

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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.