Rural population in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income): Rural population was 37.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) is 37.9%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and down 17.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) peaked at 82.5% in 1963 and was at its lowest, 37.9%, in 2025.
East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) ranks 32nd of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 80.6% | — |
| 1961 | 80.9% | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 82.2% | +1.7% |
| 1963 | 82.5% | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 81.4% | -1.4% |
| 1965 | 81.5% | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 81.5% | -0.0% |
| 1967 | 81.5% | -0.0% |
| 1968 | 81.5% | -0.0% |
| 1969 | 81.4% | -0.0% |
| 1970 | 81.4% | -0.0% |
| 1971 | 81.4% | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 81.4% | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 81.3% | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 81.3% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 81.1% | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 81.0% | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 80.8% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 80.4% | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 79.5% | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 79.1% | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 78.5% | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 78.0% | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 77.1% | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 76.0% | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 75.4% | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 74.7% | -1.0% |
| 1987 | 73.9% | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 73.4% | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 73.0% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 72.8% | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 72.1% | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 71.6% | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 71.0% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 70.3% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 69.7% | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 68.4% | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 67.2% | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 65.9% | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 64.7% | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 63.3% | -2.1% |
| 2001 | 62.2% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 61.0% | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 59.8% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 58.7% | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 57.7% | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 56.5% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 55.3% | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 54.3% | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 53.2% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 52.3% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 50.4% | -3.7% |
| 2012 | 49.3% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 48.2% | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 47.1% | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 45.9% | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 44.7% | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 43.5% | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 42.3% | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 41.3% | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 40.6% | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 39.6% | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 39.1% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 38.8% | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 38.4% | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 37.9% | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 81.5% | 80.6% | 82.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 81.0% | 79.5% | 81.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 75.9% | 73.0% | 79.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 69.4% | 64.7% | 72.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 58.2% | 53.2% | 63.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.5% | 41.3% | 52.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.1% | 37.9% | 40.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
- 29 Channel Islands 67.4% compare
- 30 Madagascar 67.1% compare
- 31 Bangladesh 66.8% compare
- 32 Comoros 66.1% compare
- 33 Eritrea 65.5% compare
- 34 Kyrgyzstan 65.3% compare
- 35 Sudan 65.1% compare
More agriculture & rural data for East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3795 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.73 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 7.4% (2025)
- Rural population 813.54 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -1.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0742 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.02 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- Rural population in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) was 37.9% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 82.5% in 1963.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.9% in 2025.
- How does East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) rank for rural population?
- East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) ranks 32nd out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 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
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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.