Germany vs South Korea: Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization)
Germany
17.9%
in 2025
South Korea
18.8%
in 2025
Germany rank
167th
South Korea rank
165th
Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) over time
- Germany
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 18.8% against 17.9% in Germany, a difference of 0.9%.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.1 times Germany's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was South Korea ahead.
Germany ranks 167th and South Korea ranks 165th of 218 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 2 and South Korea in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Germany | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 22.1% | 67.9% | 45.7% | South Korea |
| 1970s | 20.2% | 52.5% | 32.3% | South Korea |
| 1980s | 20.0% | 35.7% | 15.7% | South Korea |
| 1990s | 20.0% | 22.5% | 2.5% | South Korea |
| 2000s | 19.8% | 19.0% | 0.8% | Germany |
| 2010s | 19.3% | 18.3% | 1.0% | Germany |
| 2020s | 18.2% | 18.8% | 0.7% | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rural population, Germany or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 18.8% against 17.9% in Germany as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rural population between Germany and South Korea?
- 0.9%, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and South Korea?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Germany and South Korea rank globally for rural population?
- Germany ranks 167th 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.