Rural population, per square kilometre in European Union
European Union: Rural population, per square kilometre was 28.26 units per square kilometre in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
28.26 units per square kilometre
Change on year
down 0.1%
Rank
3rd
of 3 regions
All-time high
41.24 units per square kilometre
in 1961
All-time low
28.26 units per square kilometre
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Rural population, per square kilometre in European Union, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.
Analysis
European Union recorded 28.26 units per square kilometre for rural population, per square kilometre in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population, per square kilometre in European Union peaked at 41.24 units per square kilometre in 1961 and was at its lowest, 28.26 units per square kilometre, in 2023.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Rural population, per square kilometre in European Union, year by year
| Year | units per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 41.24 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 40.98 units per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1963 | 40.67 units per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 1964 | 40.26 units per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 1965 | 39.82 units per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 1966 | 39.41 units per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 1967 | 39.04 units per square kilometre | -0.9% |
| 1968 | 38.72 units per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 1969 | 38.42 units per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 38.11 units per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 1971 | 37.83 units per square kilometre | -0.7% |
| 1972 | 37.62 units per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 37.41 units per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 37.2 units per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 37.1 units per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 36.94 units per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 36.79 units per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 36.68 units per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 36.54 units per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 36.31 units per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 36.16 units per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 36 units per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 35.84 units per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 35.67 units per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 35.56 units per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 35.44 units per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 35.32 units per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 35.23 units per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 35.17 units per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 35.13 units per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 35.07 units per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 32.79 units per square kilometre | -6.5% |
| 1993 | 31.72 units per square kilometre | -3.3% |
| 1994 | 31.66 units per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 31.6 units per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 31.47 units per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 31.29 units per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 31.17 units per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 31.09 units per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 30.66 units per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 30.45 units per square kilometre | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 30.33 units per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 30.29 units per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 30.25 units per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 30.18 units per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 30.11 units per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 30.07 units per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 30.03 units per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 29.96 units per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 29.82 units per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 29.66 units per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 29.55 units per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 29.36 units per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 29.2 units per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 29.07 units per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 28.89 units per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 28.82 units per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 28.71 units per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 28.62 units per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 28.52 units per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 28.37 units per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 28.3 units per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 28.26 units per square kilometre | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 39.84 units per square kilometre | 38.42 units per square kilometre | 41.24 units per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 37.22 units per square kilometre | 36.54 units per square kilometre | 38.11 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 35.67 units per square kilometre | 35.17 units per square kilometre | 36.31 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 32.3 units per square kilometre | 31.09 units per square kilometre | 35.13 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 30.23 units per square kilometre | 29.96 units per square kilometre | 30.66 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.17 units per square kilometre | 28.62 units per square kilometre | 29.82 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.36 units per square kilometre | 28.26 units per square kilometre | 28.52 units per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near European Union
- 1 Maldives 1,032 units per square kilometre compare
- 2 Bangladesh 894.96 units per square kilometre compare
- 3 Burundi 407.52 units per square kilometre compare
- 4 Rwanda 402.43 units per square kilometre compare
- 5 Mauritius 381.38 units per square kilometre compare
- 6 India 314.06 units per square kilometre compare
More agriculture & rural data for European Union
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 346.42 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0163 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.3771 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2483 units per person (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.3% (2024)
- Rural population 24.8% (2025)
- Rural population 112.00 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.4% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 767.89 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population, per square kilometre in European Union?
- Rural population, per square kilometre in European Union was 28.26 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest rural population, per square kilometre recorded in European Union?
- The highest recorded value was 41.24 units per square kilometre in 1961.
- What is the lowest rural population, per square kilometre recorded in European Union?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.26 units per square kilometre in 2023.
- How does European Union rank for rural population, per square kilometre?
- European Union ranks 3rd out of 3 regions with data for 2023.
- Is rural population, per square kilometre rising or falling in European Union?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this European Union 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.