Pacific island small states vs Sri Lanka: Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization)
Pacific island small states
59.1%
in 2025
Sri Lanka
79.5%
in 2025
Pacific island small states rank
8th
Sri Lanka rank
6th
Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) over time
- Pacific island small states
- Sri Lanka
How they compare
Sri Lanka currently reports 79.5% against 59.1% in Pacific island small states, a difference of 20.4%.
That makes Sri Lanka's figure about 1.3 times Pacific island small states's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, Sri Lanka has been ahead every year.
Pacific island small states ranks 8th and Sri Lanka ranks 6th of 47 groups.
Sri Lanka has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Pacific island small states | Sri Lanka | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 76.9% | 80.3% | 3.4% | Sri Lanka |
| 1970s | 72.5% | 77.8% | 5.3% | Sri Lanka |
| 1980s | 70.4% | 79.7% | 9.3% | Sri Lanka |
| 1990s | 67.1% | 83.8% | 16.7% | Sri Lanka |
| 2000s | 64.5% | 84.7% | 20.2% | Sri Lanka |
| 2010s | 61.9% | 81.4% | 19.5% | Sri Lanka |
| 2020s | 59.9% | 79.9% | 20.1% | Sri Lanka |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rural population, Pacific island small states or Sri Lanka?
- Sri Lanka, at 79.5% against 59.1% in Pacific island small states as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rural population between Pacific island small states and Sri Lanka?
- 20.4%, with Sri Lanka ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Pacific island small states and Sri Lanka?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Pacific island small states and Sri Lanka rank globally for rural population?
- Pacific island small states ranks 8th and Sri Lanka ranks 6th of 47 groups.
- 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.