Rural population, per square kilometre in Australia
Australia: Rural population, per square kilometre was 0.4337 units per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
0.4337 units per square kilometre
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
201st
of 215 countries
All-time high
0.4337 units per square kilometre
in 2023
All-time low
0.2398 units per square kilometre
in 1970
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Rural population, per square kilometre in Australia, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.
Analysis
Australia recorded 0.4337 units per square kilometre for rural population, per square kilometre in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population, per square kilometre in Australia peaked at 0.4337 units per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.2398 units per square kilometre, in 1970.
Australia ranks 201st of 215 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Rural population, per square kilometre in Australia, year by year
| Year | units per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.2464 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 0.2485 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 1963 | 0.25 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 0.2518 units per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 0.2533 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 0.2547 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 0.2513 units per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 1968 | 0.247 units per square kilometre | -1.7% |
| 1969 | 0.2429 units per square kilometre | -1.6% |
| 1970 | 0.2398 units per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 1971 | 0.2432 units per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 1972 | 0.2453 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 0.247 units per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 0.2517 units per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 1975 | 0.2537 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 0.2559 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 0.2592 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 0.2631 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 0.2673 units per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 0.272 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 0.2776 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 0.284 units per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 1983 | 0.2898 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 0.2951 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 0.3005 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 0.3054 units per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 0.31 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 0.3148 units per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 0.3199 units per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 0.3244 units per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 0.3285 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 0.3324 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 0.3359 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 0.34 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 0.3448 units per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 0.3501 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 0.355 units per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 0.3596 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 0.3643 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 0.3689 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 0.3726 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 0.3734 units per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 0.3745 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 0.3757 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 0.3777 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 0.3794 units per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 0.3824 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 0.3865 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 0.3917 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 0.3952 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 0.3976 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 0.4011 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 0.4042 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 0.4057 units per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 0.4068 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 0.4083 units per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 0.4115 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 0.4145 units per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 0.4182 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 0.4244 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 0.4262 units per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 0.4284 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 0.4337 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 0.4337 units per square kilometre is below the median for high income countries, which is 18.09 units per square kilometre, 2% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Australia's 0.4337 units per square kilometre is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 27.04 units per square kilometre, 2% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.2495 units per square kilometre | 0.2429 units per square kilometre | 0.2547 units per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.2526 units per square kilometre | 0.2398 units per square kilometre | 0.2673 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2969 units per square kilometre | 0.272 units per square kilometre | 0.3199 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3435 units per square kilometre | 0.3244 units per square kilometre | 0.3643 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3783 units per square kilometre | 0.3689 units per square kilometre | 0.3917 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4063 units per square kilometre | 0.3952 units per square kilometre | 0.4182 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4282 units per square kilometre | 0.4244 units per square kilometre | 0.4337 units per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 198 Canada 0.7963 units per square kilometre compare
- 199 Mongolia 0.6601 units per square kilometre compare
- 200 Libya 0.5039 units per square kilometre compare
- 202 Iceland 0.2237 units per square kilometre compare
- 203 Greenland 0.0165 units per square kilometre compare
- 204 Bahrain 0 units per square kilometre compare
- 204 Bermuda 0 units per square kilometre
- 204 Cayman Islands 0 units per square kilometre
- 204 Gibraltar 0 units per square kilometre
- 204 Hong Kong 0 units per square kilometre compare
- 204 Kuwait 0 units per square kilometre compare
- 204 Macao 0 units per square kilometre compare
- 204 Saint Martin (French Part) 0 units per square kilometre
- 204 Monaco 0 units per square kilometre
- 204 Nauru 0 units per square kilometre
- 204 Singapore 0 units per square kilometre
- 204 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 0 units per square kilometre
More agriculture & rural data for Australia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0227 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,476 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5855 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1228 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population, per square kilometre in Australia?
- Rural population, per square kilometre in Australia was 0.4337 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest rural population, per square kilometre recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4337 units per square kilometre in 2023.
- What is the lowest rural population, per square kilometre recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2398 units per square kilometre in 1970.
- How does Australia rank for rural population, per square kilometre?
- Australia ranks 201st out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is rural population, per square kilometre rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Rural population, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Rural population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Rural population ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Rural population World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN)
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
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 Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.