Rural population in Euro area
Euro area: Rural population was 22.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Euro area, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Euro area is 22.5%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Euro area peaked at 39.4% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 22.5%, in 2025.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Euro area, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 39.4% | — |
| 1961 | 38.8% | -1.5% |
| 1962 | 38.2% | -1.6% |
| 1963 | 37.5% | -1.8% |
| 1964 | 36.7% | -2.2% |
| 1965 | 35.9% | -2.2% |
| 1966 | 35.1% | -2.1% |
| 1967 | 34.4% | -1.9% |
| 1968 | 33.9% | -1.7% |
| 1969 | 33.3% | -1.6% |
| 1970 | 32.8% | -1.4% |
| 1971 | 32.4% | -1.3% |
| 1972 | 32.0% | -1.2% |
| 1973 | 31.7% | -1.1% |
| 1974 | 31.3% | -1.1% |
| 1975 | 31.1% | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 30.9% | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 30.7% | -0.8% |
| 1978 | 30.4% | -0.7% |
| 1979 | 30.2% | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 30.0% | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 29.8% | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 29.6% | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 29.4% | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 29.2% | -0.6% |
| 1985 | 29.1% | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 28.9% | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 28.7% | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 28.6% | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 28.4% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 28.2% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 28.1% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 28.0% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 27.8% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 27.7% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 27.5% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 27.3% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 27.1% | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 26.9% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 26.7% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 26.5% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 26.2% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 26.0% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 25.9% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 25.7% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 25.6% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 25.4% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 25.3% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 25.2% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 25.0% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 24.9% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 24.8% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 24.6% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 24.4% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 24.2% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 24.0% | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 23.7% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 23.6% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 23.4% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 23.3% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 23.1% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 23.0% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 22.9% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 22.8% | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 22.7% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 22.5% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 36.3% | 33.3% | 39.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 31.4% | 30.2% | 32.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 29.2% | 28.4% | 30.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 27.5% | 26.7% | 28.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.7% | 25.0% | 26.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.1% | 23.3% | 24.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.8% | 22.5% | 23.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Euro area
More agriculture & rural data for Euro area
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8.91 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 278.51 billion current US$ (2025)
- Rural population 80.79 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.3% (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2252 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 776.52 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.3014 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Euro area?
- Rural population in Euro area was 22.5% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Euro area?
- The highest recorded value was 39.4% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Euro area?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.5% in 2025.
- How does Euro area rank for rural population?
- Euro area ranks 4th out of 4 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Euro area?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Euro area 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.