Rural population in East Asia & Pacific
East Asia & Pacific: Rural population was 35.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in East Asia & Pacific, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
East Asia & Pacific recorded 35.2% for rural population in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 16.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in East Asia & Pacific peaked at 76.4% in 1963 and was at its lowest, 35.2%, in 2025.
East Asia & Pacific ranks 33rd 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, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 75.1% | — |
| 1961 | 75.2% | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 76.2% | +1.4% |
| 1963 | 76.4% | +0.2% |
| 1964 | 75.3% | -1.4% |
| 1965 | 75.4% | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 75.4% | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 75.3% | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 75.2% | -0.1% |
| 1969 | 75.1% | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 75.1% | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 75.0% | -0.1% |
| 1972 | 74.9% | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 74.7% | -0.3% |
| 1974 | 74.6% | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 74.4% | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 74.2% | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 74.0% | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 73.6% | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 72.8% | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 72.4% | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 71.8% | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 71.4% | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 70.6% | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 69.6% | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 69.0% | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 68.4% | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 67.7% | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 67.3% | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 66.9% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 66.8% | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 66.1% | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 65.6% | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 65.1% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 64.5% | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 64.0% | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 62.9% | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 61.8% | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 60.7% | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 59.6% | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 58.4% | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 57.4% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 56.2% | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 55.0% | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 54.0% | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 53.0% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 51.9% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 50.7% | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 49.8% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 48.7% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 48.0% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 46.2% | -3.6% |
| 2012 | 45.3% | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 44.3% | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 43.4% | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 42.3% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 41.2% | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 40.2% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 39.1% | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 38.3% | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 37.6% | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 36.8% | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 36.3% | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 36.0% | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 35.6% | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 35.2% | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 75.5% | 75.1% | 76.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 74.3% | 72.8% | 75.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 69.5% | 66.9% | 72.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 63.7% | 59.6% | 66.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 53.5% | 48.7% | 58.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.8% | 38.3% | 48.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.3% | 35.2% | 37.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific
- 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
- 36 India 64.3% compare
More agriculture & rural data for East Asia & Pacific
- Rural population, per capita 0.3523 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.86 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 5.5% (2025)
- Rural population 842.28 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -1.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2024)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0553 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.01 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in East Asia & Pacific?
- Rural population in East Asia & Pacific was 35.2% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
- The highest recorded value was 76.4% in 1963.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.2% in 2025.
- How does East Asia & Pacific rank for rural population?
- East Asia & Pacific ranks 33rd out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific 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.