Which has higher rural population, Germany or United Kingdom?

Germany, at 17.9% against 16.7% in United Kingdom as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Germany 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.

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

Germany

17.9%

in 2025

United Kingdom

16.7%

in 2025

Germany rank

167th

United Kingdom rank

169th

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

Germany
United Kingdom

How they compare

Germany currently reports 17.9% against 16.7% in United Kingdom, a difference of 1.2%.

That makes Germany's figure about 1.1 times United Kingdom's.

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

Germany ranks 167th and United Kingdom ranks 169th of 218 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 3 and United Kingdom in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Germany	United Kingdom	Difference	Ahead
1960s	22.1%	22.3%	0.1%	United Kingdom
1970s	20.2%	22.5%	2.3%	United Kingdom
1980s	20.0%	21.6%	1.6%	United Kingdom
1990s	20.0%	21.3%	1.4%	United Kingdom
2000s	19.8%	19.6%	0.2%	Germany
2010s	19.3%	18.2%	1.1%	Germany
2020s	18.2%	16.9%	1.3%	Germany

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher rural population, Germany or United Kingdom?: Germany, at 17.9% against 16.7% in United Kingdom as of 2025.
What is the difference in rural population between Germany and United Kingdom?: 1.2%, with Germany ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and United Kingdom?: 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
How do Germany and United Kingdom rank globally for rural population?: Germany ranks 167th 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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Germany 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/germany/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.