Kenya vs World: Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization)
Kenya
67.8%
in 2025
World
42.2%
in 2025
Kenya rank
27th
World rank
27th
Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) over time
- Kenya
- World
How they compare
Kenya currently reports 67.8% against 42.2% in World, a difference of 25.6%.
That makes Kenya's figure about 1.6 times World's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, Kenya has been ahead every year.
Kenya ranks 27th and World ranks 27th of 218 countries.
Kenya has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Kenya | World | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 91.0% | 64.8% | 26.2% | Kenya |
| 1970s | 87.2% | 62.4% | 24.8% | Kenya |
| 1980s | 82.9% | 58.9% | 24.1% | Kenya |
| 1990s | 81.4% | 55.6% | 25.8% | Kenya |
| 2000s | 73.9% | 50.9% | 23.0% | Kenya |
| 2010s | 68.3% | 45.9% | 22.4% | Kenya |
| 2020s | 68.4% | 42.8% | 25.6% | Kenya |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rural population, Kenya or World?
- Kenya, at 67.8% against 42.2% in World as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rural population between Kenya and World?
- 25.6%, with Kenya ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Kenya and World?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Kenya and World rank globally for rural population?
- Kenya ranks 27th and World ranks 27th 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.