Rural population growth in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Rural population growth was 1.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population growth in Least developed countries, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population growth in Least developed countries is 1.5%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in Least developed countries peaked at 2.4% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 2025.
Least developed countries ranks 6th of 45 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Rural population growth in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.1% | — |
| 1962 | 2.1% | +1.3% |
| 1963 | 2.2% | +0.2% |
| 1964 | 2.2% | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 2.2% | +0.7% |
| 1966 | 2.2% | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 2.2% | +1.3% |
| 1968 | 2.2% | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 2.1% | -2.9% |
| 1970 | 2.0% | -5.2% |
| 1971 | 1.8% | -13.2% |
| 1972 | 1.8% | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 2.1% | +17.4% |
| 1974 | 2.4% | +19.2% |
| 1975 | 2.2% | -8.6% |
| 1976 | 1.8% | -21.6% |
| 1977 | 1.7% | -4.7% |
| 1978 | 1.8% | +6.3% |
| 1979 | 1.9% | +4.8% |
| 1980 | 1.7% | -10.8% |
| 1981 | 1.7% | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 2.0% | +20.0% |
| 1983 | 2.2% | +8.5% |
| 1984 | 2.2% | -1.6% |
| 1985 | 2.1% | -2.7% |
| 1986 | 2.1% | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 2.0% | -2.7% |
| 1988 | 2.0% | -0.9% |
| 1989 | 2.0% | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 1.9% | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 1.9% | -3.0% |
| 1992 | 2.2% | +15.9% |
| 1993 | 2.4% | +8.0% |
| 1994 | 2.2% | -5.7% |
| 1995 | 2.2% | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 2.2% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 2.1% | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 2.1% | -3.1% |
| 1999 | 2.0% | -3.4% |
| 2000 | 1.9% | -5.6% |
| 2001 | 1.8% | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 1.9% | +4.7% |
| 2003 | 1.9% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 1.8% | -7.1% |
| 2005 | 1.7% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 1.7% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 1.7% | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 1.6% | -6.2% |
| 2009 | 1.7% | +6.0% |
| 2010 | 1.7% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 1.8% | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 1.8% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 1.7% | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 1.7% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 1.7% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 1.6% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 1.7% | +4.0% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 1.7% | -4.4% |
| 2022 | 1.6% | -5.2% |
| 2023 | 1.6% | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 1.6% | -2.7% |
| 2025 | 1.5% | -1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.2% | 2.1% | 2.2% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.0% | 1.7% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
- 3 United Arab Emirates 3.7% compare
- 4 Saudi Arabia 3.6% compare
- 5 Georgia 2.9% compare
- 6 Niger 2.8% compare
- 7 Ukraine 2.7% compare
- 8 Central African Republic 2.6% compare
- 9 Chad 2.5% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Least developed countries
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8.67 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 337.24 billion current US$ (2025)
- Rural population 769.36 million (2025)
- Rural population 63.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2019)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 3.1% (2023)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6336 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 277.75 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.55 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in Least developed countries?
- Rural population growth in Least developed countries was 1.5% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 2.4% in 1974.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2025.
- How does Least developed countries rank for rural population growth?
- Least developed countries ranks 6th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Least developed countries data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. 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.