Rural population growth in Portugal
Portugal: Rural population growth was 0.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rural population growth in Portugal, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population growth in Portugal stood at 0.6%.
That represents a change of down 23.8% on the previous year and up 244.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in Portugal peaked at 2.8% in 1975 and was at its lowest, -1.8%, in 2005.
That places Portugal 76th out of 209 countries 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 Portugal, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.3% | — |
| 1962 | 0.2% | -36.4% |
| 1963 | -0.2% | -175.2% |
| 1964 | -0.5% | +251.8% |
| 1965 | -1.0% | +92.6% |
| 1966 | -1.4% | +36.8% |
| 1967 | -1.3% | -5.8% |
| 1968 | -1.2% | -12.7% |
| 1969 | -1.7% | +42.9% |
| 1970 | -1.7% | +1.4% |
| 1971 | -1.3% | -25.2% |
| 1972 | -1.0% | -18.6% |
| 1973 | -0.9% | -14.9% |
| 1974 | 0.5% | -151.3% |
| 1975 | 2.8% | +525.3% |
| 1976 | 1.8% | -34.7% |
| 1977 | 0.0% | -97.9% |
| 1978 | 0.0% | -17.6% |
| 1979 | 0.0% | -91.9% |
| 1980 | -0.0% | -447.0% |
| 1981 | -0.2% | +2562.3% |
| 1982 | -0.5% | +112.6% |
| 1983 | -0.7% | +31.7% |
| 1984 | -0.8% | +13.8% |
| 1985 | -0.9% | +16.0% |
| 1986 | -1.1% | +21.5% |
| 1987 | -1.2% | +11.6% |
| 1988 | -1.3% | +6.9% |
| 1989 | -1.3% | +3.6% |
| 1990 | -1.4% | +5.5% |
| 1991 | -1.4% | +1.1% |
| 1992 | -1.3% | -8.3% |
| 1993 | -1.2% | -11.1% |
| 1994 | -1.1% | -8.7% |
| 1995 | -1.0% | -3.7% |
| 1996 | -1.0% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | -1.0% | -4.6% |
| 1998 | -0.9% | -4.5% |
| 1999 | -0.9% | -5.7% |
| 2000 | -0.7% | -15.8% |
| 2001 | -0.8% | +1.7% |
| 2002 | -1.1% | +41.0% |
| 2003 | -1.4% | +34.9% |
| 2004 | -1.7% | +17.2% |
| 2005 | -1.8% | +5.0% |
| 2006 | -1.7% | -2.8% |
| 2007 | -1.6% | -9.6% |
| 2008 | -1.4% | -12.6% |
| 2009 | -1.1% | -22.3% |
| 2010 | -0.7% | -38.6% |
| 2011 | -0.3% | -52.9% |
| 2012 | -0.4% | +32.0% |
| 2013 | -0.5% | +35.2% |
| 2014 | -0.5% | -2.1% |
| 2015 | -0.4% | -23.7% |
| 2016 | -0.3% | -24.9% |
| 2017 | -0.2% | -24.5% |
| 2018 | -0.1% | -38.0% |
| 2019 | 0.0% | -131.5% |
| 2020 | 0.1% | +192.7% |
| 2021 | 0.7% | +390.6% |
| 2022 | 0.6% | -5.0% |
| 2023 | 1.2% | +88.6% |
| 2024 | 0.8% | -33.4% |
| 2025 | 0.6% | -23.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -0.8% | -1.7% | 0.3% | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.0% | -1.7% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.8% | -1.3% | -0.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.1% | -1.4% | -0.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | -1.3% | -1.8% | -0.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.3% | -0.7% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7% | 0.1% | 1.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More agriculture & rural data for Portugal
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.28 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0196 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 628.85 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5936 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.385 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in Portugal?
- Rural population growth in Portugal was 0.6% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 2.8% in 1975.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.8% in 2005.
- How does Portugal rank for rural population growth?
- Portugal ranks 76th out of 209 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 244.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Portugal 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
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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.