Rural population, per square kilometre in Canada
Canada: Rural population, per square kilometre was 0.7963 units per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
0.7963 units per square kilometre
Change on year
up 1.8%
World rank
198th
of 215 countries
All-time high
0.7963 units per square kilometre
in 2023
All-time low
0.572 units per square kilometre
in 1970
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Rural population, per square kilometre in Canada, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.
Analysis
In 2023, rural population, per square kilometre in Canada stood at 0.7963 units per square kilometre. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population, per square kilometre in Canada peaked at 0.7963 units per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.572 units per square kilometre, in 1970.
That places Canada 198th out of 215 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 Canada, year by year
| Year | units per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.6177 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 0.6135 units per square kilometre | -0.7% |
| 1963 | 0.6073 units per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 1964 | 0.6004 units per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 1965 | 0.5938 units per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 1966 | 0.5896 units per square kilometre | -0.7% |
| 1967 | 0.5854 units per square kilometre | -0.7% |
| 1968 | 0.5795 units per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 1969 | 0.5737 units per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 1970 | 0.572 units per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 0.5858 units per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 1972 | 0.5942 units per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 1973 | 0.6051 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1974 | 0.6178 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1975 | 0.6303 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1976 | 0.6399 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 1977 | 0.6471 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1978 | 0.6528 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 0.6581 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 0.6651 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 0.6716 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 0.6765 units per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 0.6782 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 0.6792 units per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 0.6809 units per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 0.6851 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 0.6933 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 0.7017 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 0.7139 units per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 0.7241 units per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 0.7319 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 0.7362 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 0.736 units per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.7337 units per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 0.7309 units per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 0.7301 units per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 0.7308 units per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 0.7309 units per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.7309 units per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.7314 units per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 0.7321 units per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 0.7311 units per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 0.7273 units per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 0.7234 units per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 0.7201 units per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 0.7186 units per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 0.7174 units per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 0.7171 units per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.718 units per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 0.7202 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 0.7238 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 0.7298 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 0.7363 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 0.7426 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 0.7468 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 0.7531 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 0.7581 units per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 0.7629 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 0.7663 units per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 0.7656 units per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 0.7754 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 0.7822 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 0.7963 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 0.7963 units per square kilometre is below the median for high income countries, which is 18.09 units per square kilometre, 4% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.5957 units per square kilometre | 0.5737 units per square kilometre | 0.6177 units per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.6203 units per square kilometre | 0.572 units per square kilometre | 0.6581 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6846 units per square kilometre | 0.6651 units per square kilometre | 0.7139 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7316 units per square kilometre | 0.7241 units per square kilometre | 0.7362 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7237 units per square kilometre | 0.7171 units per square kilometre | 0.7321 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.744 units per square kilometre | 0.7202 units per square kilometre | 0.7663 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7799 units per square kilometre | 0.7656 units per square kilometre | 0.7963 units per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 195 Argentina 1.3 units per square kilometre compare
- 196 Uruguay 0.8626 units per square kilometre compare
- 197 Gabon 0.8064 units per square kilometre compare
- 199 Mongolia 0.6601 units per square kilometre compare
- 200 Libya 0.5039 units per square kilometre compare
- 201 Australia 0.4337 units per square kilometre compare
More agriculture & rural data for Canada
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 31.61 % change on previous year (2022)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0193 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,092 current US$ per person (2022)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.0803 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1712 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.9% (2022)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.9% (2022)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population, per square kilometre in Canada?
- Rural population, per square kilometre in Canada was 0.7963 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest rural population, per square kilometre recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 0.7963 units per square kilometre in 2023.
- What is the lowest rural population, per square kilometre recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.572 units per square kilometre in 1970.
- How does Canada rank for rural population, per square kilometre?
- Canada ranks 198th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is rural population, per square kilometre rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada 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.