Spain vs United States: Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization)
Spain
19.5%
in 2025
United States
19.8%
in 2025
Spain rank
164th
United States rank
162nd
Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) over time
- Spain
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 19.8% against 19.5% in Spain, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Spain ahead.
Spain ranks 164th and United States ranks 162nd of 218 countries.
Spain has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Spain | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 39.3% | 28.1% | 11.2% | Spain |
| 1970s | 31.3% | 26.4% | 4.9% | Spain |
| 1980s | 26.8% | 25.7% | 1.1% | Spain |
| 1990s | 24.5% | 23.0% | 1.5% | Spain |
| 2000s | 22.9% | 20.0% | 2.9% | Spain |
| 2010s | 20.9% | 19.5% | 1.4% | Spain |
| 2020s | 19.9% | 19.9% | 0.0% | Spain |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rural population, Spain or United States?
- United States, at 19.8% against 19.5% in Spain as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rural population between Spain and United States?
- 0.3%, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Spain and United States?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Spain and United States rank globally for rural population?
- Spain ranks 164th 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.