South Korea vs United States: Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization)
South Korea
18.8%
in 2025
United States
19.8%
in 2025
South Korea rank
165th
United States rank
162nd
Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) over time
- South Korea
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 19.8% against 18.8% in South Korea, a difference of 1.0%.
That makes United States's figure about 1.1 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was South Korea ahead.
South Korea ranks 165th and United States ranks 162nd of 218 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 3 and United States in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 67.9% | 28.1% | 39.8% | South Korea |
| 1970s | 52.5% | 26.4% | 26.1% | South Korea |
| 1980s | 35.7% | 25.7% | 10.0% | South Korea |
| 1990s | 22.5% | 23.0% | 0.5% | United States |
| 2000s | 19.0% | 20.0% | 1.0% | United States |
| 2010s | 18.3% | 19.5% | 1.1% | United States |
| 2020s | 18.8% | 19.9% | 1.1% | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rural population, South Korea or United States?
- United States, at 19.8% against 18.8% in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rural population between South Korea and United States?
- 1.0%, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and United States?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do South Korea and United States rank globally for rural population?
- South Korea ranks 165th and United States ranks 162nd 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.