Rural population in Brazil
Brazil: Rural population was 11.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Brazil, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Brazil is 11.8%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.3% on the previous year and down 17.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Brazil peaked at 55.3% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 11.8%, in 2025.
Brazil ranks 179th of 217 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Brazil, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 55.3% | — |
| 1961 | 54.5% | -1.5% |
| 1962 | 53.7% | -1.5% |
| 1963 | 52.9% | -1.5% |
| 1964 | 52.1% | -1.5% |
| 1965 | 51.3% | -1.5% |
| 1966 | 50.5% | -1.6% |
| 1967 | 49.7% | -1.7% |
| 1968 | 48.8% | -1.8% |
| 1969 | 47.8% | -1.9% |
| 1970 | 46.8% | -2.1% |
| 1971 | 45.7% | -2.4% |
| 1972 | 44.3% | -2.9% |
| 1973 | 42.9% | -3.3% |
| 1974 | 41.3% | -3.7% |
| 1975 | 39.7% | -3.9% |
| 1976 | 38.1% | -4.1% |
| 1977 | 36.5% | -4.1% |
| 1978 | 35.0% | -4.0% |
| 1979 | 33.7% | -3.8% |
| 1980 | 32.6% | -3.3% |
| 1981 | 31.6% | -2.9% |
| 1982 | 30.7% | -2.8% |
| 1983 | 29.9% | -2.7% |
| 1984 | 29.1% | -2.6% |
| 1985 | 28.4% | -2.5% |
| 1986 | 27.7% | -2.5% |
| 1987 | 27.0% | -2.4% |
| 1988 | 26.4% | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 25.8% | -2.4% |
| 1990 | 25.1% | -2.4% |
| 1991 | 24.5% | -2.5% |
| 1992 | 23.9% | -2.4% |
| 1993 | 23.4% | -2.3% |
| 1994 | 22.8% | -2.3% |
| 1995 | 22.3% | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 21.7% | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 21.0% | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 20.2% | -3.8% |
| 1999 | 19.5% | -3.7% |
| 2000 | 18.9% | -3.1% |
| 2001 | 18.4% | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 18.0% | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 17.6% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 17.3% | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 17.0% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 16.7% | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 16.5% | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 16.2% | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 15.9% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 15.7% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 15.4% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 15.1% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 14.8% | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 14.6% | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 14.3% | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 14.1% | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 13.8% | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 13.6% | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 13.3% | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 13.1% | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 12.9% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 12.7% | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 12.4% | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 12.1% | -2.3% |
| 2025 | 11.8% | -2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 51.7% | 47.8% | 55.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 40.4% | 33.7% | 46.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 28.9% | 25.8% | 32.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.4% | 19.5% | 25.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.3% | 15.9% | 18.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.5% | 13.3% | 15.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.5% | 11.8% | 13.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Brazil
More agriculture & rural data for Brazil
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0609 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 652.04 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.95 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1182 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 5.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Brazil?
- Rural population in Brazil was 11.8% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Brazil?
- The highest recorded value was 55.3% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Brazil?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.8% in 2025.
- How does Brazil rank for rural population?
- Brazil ranks 179th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Brazil?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Brazil 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.