Which has higher rural population, Norway or United Kingdom?

United Kingdom, at 16.7% against 16.4% in Norway as of 2025.

What is the difference in rural population between Norway and United Kingdom?

0.3%, with United Kingdom ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Norway 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.

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

Norway

16.4%

in 2025

United Kingdom

16.7%

in 2025

Norway rank

170th

United Kingdom rank

169th

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

Norway
United Kingdom

How they compare

United Kingdom currently reports 16.7% against 16.4% in Norway, a difference of 0.3%.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Norway ahead.

Norway ranks 170th and United Kingdom ranks 169th of 218 countries.

Norway has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Norway	United Kingdom	Difference	Ahead
1960s	44.5%	22.3%	22.3%	Norway
1970s	31.6%	22.5%	9.2%	Norway
1980s	28.8%	21.6%	7.2%	Norway
1990s	26.2%	21.3%	4.9%	Norway
2000s	22.4%	19.6%	2.7%	Norway
2010s	19.2%	18.2%	0.9%	Norway
2020s	16.9%	16.9%	0.0%	Norway

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher rural population, Norway or United Kingdom?: United Kingdom, at 16.7% against 16.4% in Norway as of 2025.
What is the difference in rural population between Norway and United Kingdom?: 0.3%, with United Kingdom ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Norway and United Kingdom?: 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
How do Norway and United Kingdom rank globally for rural population?: Norway ranks 170th 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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Norway 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/norway/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.