India vs Upper middle income: Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization)
India
64.3%
in 2025
Upper middle income
31.8%
in 2025
India rank
36th
Upper middle income rank
35th
Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) over time
- India
- Upper middle income
How they compare
India currently reports 64.3% against 31.8% in Upper middle income, a difference of 32.5%.
That makes India's figure about 2.0 times Upper middle income's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, India has been ahead every year.
India ranks 36th and Upper middle income ranks 35th of 218 countries.
India has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | India | Upper middle income | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 81.4% | 73.4% | 8.0% | India |
| 1970s | 78.7% | 70.8% | 7.9% | India |
| 1980s | 75.5% | 64.7% | 10.8% | India |
| 1990s | 73.5% | 58.2% | 15.3% | India |
| 2000s | 71.0% | 48.7% | 22.3% | India |
| 2010s | 67.6% | 38.9% | 28.7% | India |
| 2020s | 65.1% | 32.8% | 32.3% | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rural population, India or Upper middle income?
- India, at 64.3% against 31.8% in Upper middle income as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rural population between India and Upper middle income?
- 32.5%, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and Upper middle income?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do India and Upper middle income rank globally for rural population?
- India ranks 36th and Upper middle income ranks 35th 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.