Rural population, per capita in Ireland
Ireland: Rural population, per capita was 0.3541 units per person in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population, per capita in Ireland, 1960–2025
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per person.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 0.3541 units per person for rural population, per capita in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population, per capita in Ireland peaked at 0.5513 units per person in 1960 and was at its lowest, 0.3541 units per person, in 2025.
That places Ireland 109th out of 216 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population, per capita in Ireland, year by year
| Year | units per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.5513 units per person | — |
| 1961 | 0.5461 units per person | -0.9% |
| 1962 | 0.5393 units per person | -1.2% |
| 1963 | 0.5311 units per person | -1.5% |
| 1964 | 0.5224 units per person | -1.6% |
| 1965 | 0.5139 units per person | -1.6% |
| 1966 | 0.5065 units per person | -1.4% |
| 1967 | 0.4998 units per person | -1.3% |
| 1968 | 0.4932 units per person | -1.3% |
| 1969 | 0.4871 units per person | -1.2% |
| 1970 | 0.4815 units per person | -1.1% |
| 1971 | 0.4768 units per person | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 0.4724 units per person | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 0.4683 units per person | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 0.4643 units per person | -0.8% |
| 1975 | 0.4606 units per person | -0.8% |
| 1976 | 0.457 units per person | -0.8% |
| 1977 | 0.4538 units per person | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 0.4508 units per person | -0.7% |
| 1979 | 0.448 units per person | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 0.4456 units per person | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 0.4435 units per person | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 0.4416 units per person | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 0.44 units per person | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 0.4385 units per person | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 0.4371 units per person | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 0.4358 units per person | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 0.4345 units per person | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 0.4333 units per person | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 0.4322 units per person | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 0.4309 units per person | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 0.4294 units per person | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 0.4275 units per person | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 0.4254 units per person | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 0.423 units per person | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 0.4206 units per person | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 0.4183 units per person | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 0.4159 units per person | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 0.4136 units per person | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 0.4112 units per person | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 0.4088 units per person | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 0.4062 units per person | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 0.4036 units per person | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 0.4009 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 0.398 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 0.3951 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 0.3923 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 0.3894 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 0.3864 units per person | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 0.3836 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 0.3811 units per person | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 0.3791 units per person | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 0.3775 units per person | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 0.376 units per person | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 0.3746 units per person | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 0.3736 units per person | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 0.3728 units per person | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 0.371 units per person | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 0.3692 units per person | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 0.3673 units per person | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 0.3653 units per person | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 0.3632 units per person | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 0.3611 units per person | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 0.3588 units per person | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 0.3565 units per person | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 0.3541 units per person | -0.7% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 0.3541 units per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.1867 units per person, 1.9× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 0.3541 units per person is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.304 units per person, 1.2× the median. (57 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.5191 units per person | 0.4871 units per person | 0.5513 units per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.4633 units per person | 0.448 units per person | 0.4815 units per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.4382 units per person | 0.4322 units per person | 0.4456 units per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4216 units per person | 0.4112 units per person | 0.4309 units per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3964 units per person | 0.3836 units per person | 0.4088 units per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3742 units per person | 0.3673 units per person | 0.3811 units per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3598 units per person | 0.3541 units per person | 0.3653 units per person | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 106 South Africa 0.3618 units per person compare
- 107 Congo 0.3588 units per person compare
- 108 North Korea 0.3581 units per person compare
- 110 Gambia 0.3501 units per person compare
- 111 Tuvalu 0.3456 units per person compare
- 112 Montenegro 0.3439 units per person compare
More agriculture & rural data for Ireland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 22.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0106 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,391 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.9559 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2024)
- Rural population 35.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population, per capita in Ireland?
- Rural population, per capita in Ireland was 0.3541 units per person in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest rural population, per capita recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 0.5513 units per person in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population, per capita recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3541 units per person in 2025.
- How does Ireland rank for rural population, per capita?
- Ireland ranks 109th out of 216 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population, per capita rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Rural population, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Rural population divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Rural population ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Rural population World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN)
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Rural population divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.