Rural population in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Rural population was 66.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Bangladesh, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Bangladesh is 66.8%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Bangladesh peaked at 94.9% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 66.8%, in 2025.
That places Bangladesh 31st out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 94.9% | — |
| 1961 | 94.7% | -0.2% |
| 1962 | 94.5% | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 94.3% | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 94.1% | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 93.9% | -0.2% |
| 1966 | 93.7% | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 93.5% | -0.3% |
| 1968 | 93.2% | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 92.9% | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 92.6% | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 92.3% | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 91.9% | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 91.5% | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 91.0% | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 90.4% | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 89.4% | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 88.4% | -1.2% |
| 1978 | 87.3% | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 86.2% | -1.2% |
| 1980 | 85.3% | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 84.6% | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 84.0% | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 83.4% | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 82.9% | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 82.4% | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 81.9% | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 81.4% | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 81.0% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 80.6% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 80.1% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 79.7% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 79.4% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 79.0% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 78.7% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 78.3% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 78.0% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 77.7% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 77.4% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 77.0% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 76.7% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 76.3% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 75.9% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 75.4% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 75.0% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 74.5% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 74.1% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 73.6% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 73.1% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 72.7% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 72.3% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 71.9% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 71.5% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 71.2% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 70.8% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 70.5% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 70.1% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 69.8% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 69.5% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 69.2% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 68.9% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 68.6% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 68.3% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 67.8% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 67.3% | -0.8% |
| 2025 | 66.8% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 94.0% | 92.9% | 94.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 90.1% | 86.2% | 92.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 82.7% | 80.6% | 85.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 78.5% | 77.0% | 80.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 74.7% | 72.7% | 76.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 70.7% | 69.2% | 72.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.0% | 66.8% | 68.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
- 28 Mali 67.8% compare
- 29 Channel Islands 67.4% compare
- 30 Madagascar 67.1% compare
- 32 Comoros 66.1% compare
- 33 Eritrea 65.5% compare
- 34 Kyrgyzstan 65.3% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Bangladesh
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 3.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1142 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 296.72 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6676 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 11.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 11.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2018)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 6.0% (2018)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Bangladesh?
- Rural population in Bangladesh was 66.8% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 94.9% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.8% in 2025.
- How does Bangladesh rank for rural population?
- Bangladesh ranks 31st out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.