New Zealand vs United Kingdom: Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization)
New Zealand
16.0%
in 2025
United Kingdom
16.7%
in 2025
New Zealand rank
171st
United Kingdom rank
169th
Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) over time
- New Zealand
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 16.7% against 16.0% in New Zealand, a difference of 0.7%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was New Zealand ahead.
New Zealand ranks 171st and United Kingdom ranks 169th of 218 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, New Zealand averaged higher in 1 and United Kingdom in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | New Zealand | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 31.7% | 22.3% | 9.4% | New Zealand |
| 1970s | 17.6% | 22.5% | 4.8% | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 16.2% | 21.6% | 5.4% | United Kingdom |
| 1990s | 14.7% | 21.3% | 6.6% | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 14.1% | 19.6% | 5.5% | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 15.0% | 18.2% | 3.3% | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 16.1% | 16.9% | 0.8% | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rural population, New Zealand or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 16.7% against 16.0% in New Zealand as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rural population between New Zealand and United Kingdom?
- 0.7%, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and United Kingdom?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do New Zealand and United Kingdom rank globally for rural population?
- New Zealand ranks 171st 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.
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.