Rural population growth in Low & middle income
Low & middle income: Rural population growth was 0.3% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rural population growth in Low & middle income, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population growth in Low & middle income stood at 0.3%.
That represents a change of down 12.3% on the previous year and up 569.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in Low & middle income peaked at 2.4% in 1962 and was at its lowest, -0.2%, in 2011.
That places Low & middle income 25th out of 45 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Rural population growth in Low & middle income, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.2% | — |
| 1962 | 2.4% | +99.5% |
| 1963 | 2.3% | -2.6% |
| 1964 | 1.5% | -35.0% |
| 1965 | 2.2% | +43.9% |
| 1966 | 2.2% | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 2.1% | -3.7% |
| 1968 | 2.1% | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 2.2% | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 2.2% | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 2.1% | -2.7% |
| 1972 | 2.0% | -6.3% |
| 1973 | 1.9% | -5.8% |
| 1974 | 1.9% | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 1.7% | -11.7% |
| 1976 | 1.6% | -5.8% |
| 1977 | 1.5% | -4.4% |
| 1978 | 1.4% | -7.3% |
| 1979 | 1.1% | -18.3% |
| 1980 | 1.4% | +23.5% |
| 1981 | 1.3% | -6.5% |
| 1982 | 1.6% | +18.6% |
| 1983 | 1.3% | -17.6% |
| 1984 | 1.1% | -15.0% |
| 1985 | 1.4% | +27.1% |
| 1986 | 1.3% | -2.3% |
| 1987 | 1.4% | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 1.5% | +7.8% |
| 1989 | 1.5% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 1.6% | +10.9% |
| 1991 | 1.2% | -25.8% |
| 1992 | 1.3% | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 1.2% | -3.0% |
| 1994 | 1.2% | -5.3% |
| 1995 | 1.1% | -3.6% |
| 1996 | 0.7% | -35.5% |
| 1997 | 0.7% | -8.2% |
| 1998 | 0.6% | -7.3% |
| 1999 | 0.6% | -8.9% |
| 2000 | 0.4% | -24.8% |
| 2001 | 0.6% | +35.7% |
| 2002 | 0.4% | -23.5% |
| 2003 | 0.4% | -12.8% |
| 2004 | 0.4% | +14.8% |
| 2005 | 0.4% | -6.3% |
| 2006 | 0.3% | -17.0% |
| 2007 | 0.2% | -29.2% |
| 2008 | 0.4% | +65.0% |
| 2009 | 0.3% | -26.9% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | +68.9% |
| 2011 | -0.2% | -150.8% |
| 2012 | 0.3% | -222.7% |
| 2013 | 0.1% | -54.8% |
| 2014 | 0.2% | +37.3% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | -73.0% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | +167.9% |
| 2017 | 0.2% | +39.2% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | -41.3% |
| 2019 | 0.2% | +56.1% |
| 2020 | 0.3% | +81.0% |
| 2021 | 0.0% | -90.2% |
| 2022 | 0.3% | +816.4% |
| 2023 | 0.4% | +36.9% |
| 2024 | 0.4% | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 0.3% | -12.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.0% | 1.2% | 2.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.7% | 1.1% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.4% | 1.1% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.0% | 0.6% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2% | -0.2% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Low & middle income
More agriculture & rural data for Low & middle income
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 3.44 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.77 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Rural population 3.18 billion (2025)
- Rural population 46.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4688 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 555.24 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.3404 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in Low & middle income?
- Rural population growth in Low & middle income was 0.3% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Low & middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 2.4% in 1962.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Low & middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.2% in 2011.
- How does Low & middle income rank for rural population growth?
- Low & middle income ranks 25th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in Low & middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 569.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Low & middle income 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.
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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.