Rural population, per square kilometre in North America
North America: Rural population, per square kilometre was 4.13 units per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
4.13 units per square kilometre
Change on year
up 0.7%
Rank
45th
of 45 groups
All-time high
4.13 units per square kilometre
in 2023
All-time low
3.25 units per square kilometre
in 1968
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Rural population, per square kilometre in North America, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population, per square kilometre in North America is 4.13 units per square kilometre, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 10.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population, per square kilometre in North America peaked at 4.13 units per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.25 units per square kilometre, in 1968.
North America ranks 45th of 45 groups 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 North America, year by year
| Year | units per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.3 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 3.3 units per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 1963 | 3.29 units per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 3.28 units per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 3.27 units per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1966 | 3.26 units per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 3.25 units per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 3.25 units per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 1969 | 3.26 units per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 3.28 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 3.32 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 3.36 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1973 | 3.39 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 3.42 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 3.46 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 3.49 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 3.52 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 3.56 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 3.59 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 3.62 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 3.65 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 3.67 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 3.69 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 3.7 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 3.71 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 3.72 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 3.73 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 3.74 units per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 3.75 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 3.76 units per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 3.78 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 3.78 units per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 3.76 units per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 3.74 units per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 3.71 units per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 3.68 units per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 3.66 units per square kilometre | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 3.64 units per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 3.62 units per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 3.62 units per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 3.61 units per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 3.61 units per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 3.6 units per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 3.59 units per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 3.58 units per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 3.59 units per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 3.59 units per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 3.61 units per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 3.63 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 3.65 units per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 3.68 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 3.71 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 3.75 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 3.78 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 3.82 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 3.87 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 3.91 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 3.95 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 4 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 4.04 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 4.08 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 4.1 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 4.13 units per square kilometre | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.27 units per square kilometre | 3.25 units per square kilometre | 3.3 units per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.44 units per square kilometre | 3.28 units per square kilometre | 3.59 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.7 units per square kilometre | 3.62 units per square kilometre | 3.75 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.71 units per square kilometre | 3.62 units per square kilometre | 3.78 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.6 units per square kilometre | 3.58 units per square kilometre | 3.63 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.81 units per square kilometre | 3.65 units per square kilometre | 4 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.09 units per square kilometre | 4.04 units per square kilometre | 4.13 units per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near North America
- 42 Nepal 69.3 units per square kilometre compare
- 43 Timor-Leste 66.47 units per square kilometre compare
- 44 Egypt 65.92 units per square kilometre compare
- 45 Kenya 65.13 units per square kilometre compare
- 46 Dominican Republic 64.99 units per square kilometre compare
- 47 Sierra Leone 64.69 units per square kilometre compare
- 48 Samoa 64.3 units per square kilometre compare
More agriculture & rural data for North America
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.18 % change on previous year (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 256.06 billion current US$ (2021)
- Rural population 74.83 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.2% (2025)
- Rural population 19.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1951 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0099 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 691.3 current US$ per person (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population, per square kilometre in North America?
- Rural population, per square kilometre in North America was 4.13 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest rural population, per square kilometre recorded in North America?
- The highest recorded value was 4.13 units per square kilometre in 2023.
- What is the lowest rural population, per square kilometre recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.25 units per square kilometre in 1968.
- How does North America rank for rural population, per square kilometre?
- North America ranks 45th out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is rural population, per square kilometre rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North America 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.