Rural population in Canada
Canada: Rural population was 17.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Canada, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Canada stood at 17.1%. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Canada peaked at 31.0% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 17.1%, in 2025.
That places Canada 167th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Canada, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 31.0% | — |
| 1961 | 30.3% | -2.1% |
| 1962 | 29.6% | -2.5% |
| 1963 | 28.7% | -2.8% |
| 1964 | 27.9% | -3.0% |
| 1965 | 27.1% | -2.9% |
| 1966 | 26.4% | -2.5% |
| 1967 | 25.7% | -2.5% |
| 1968 | 25.0% | -2.6% |
| 1969 | 24.5% | -2.3% |
| 1970 | 24.1% | -1.7% |
| 1971 | 23.9% | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 24.0% | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 24.1% | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 24.3% | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 24.4% | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 24.5% | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 24.5% | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 24.4% | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 24.4% | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 24.3% | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 24.3% | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 24.1% | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 24.0% | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 23.8% | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 23.6% | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 23.5% | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 23.5% | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 23.5% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 23.5% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 23.4% | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 23.4% | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 23.3% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 23.0% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 22.7% | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 22.4% | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 22.1% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 21.9% | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 21.7% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 21.6% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 21.4% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 21.2% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 20.9% | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 20.6% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 20.3% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 20.0% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 19.8% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 19.6% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 19.3% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 19.1% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 19.0% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 18.9% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 18.8% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 18.8% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 18.8% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 18.8% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 18.7% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 18.6% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 18.4% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 18.3% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 18.0% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 17.8% | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 17.6% | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 17.5% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 17.3% | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 17.1% | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 27.6% | 24.5% | 31.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 24.2% | 23.9% | 24.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 23.8% | 23.5% | 24.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.5% | 21.6% | 23.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.2% | 19.1% | 21.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.7% | 18.3% | 19.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.6% | 17.1% | 18.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 164 South Korea 18.8% compare
- 165 Bahamas 18.7% compare
- 166 Germany 17.9% compare
- 168 United Kingdom 16.7% compare
- 169 Norway 16.4% compare
- 170 New Zealand 16.0% 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 in Canada?
- Rural population in Canada was 17.1% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 31.0% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.1% in 2025.
- How does Canada rank for rural population?
- Canada ranks 167th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada 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.