Rural population in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries): Rural population was 30.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) is 30.8%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 55.6% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 30.8%, in 2025.
That places Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) 37th out of 47 groups 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 Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 55.6% | — |
| 1961 | 54.8% | -1.4% |
| 1962 | 54.2% | -1.1% |
| 1963 | 53.5% | -1.2% |
| 1964 | 52.8% | -1.3% |
| 1965 | 52.2% | -1.3% |
| 1966 | 51.5% | -1.3% |
| 1967 | 50.8% | -1.3% |
| 1968 | 50.1% | -1.4% |
| 1969 | 49.4% | -1.5% |
| 1970 | 48.6% | -1.4% |
| 1971 | 48.0% | -1.3% |
| 1972 | 47.2% | -1.6% |
| 1973 | 46.4% | -1.6% |
| 1974 | 45.7% | -1.7% |
| 1975 | 45.0% | -1.5% |
| 1976 | 44.3% | -1.4% |
| 1977 | 43.8% | -1.3% |
| 1978 | 43.2% | -1.3% |
| 1979 | 42.7% | -1.2% |
| 1980 | 42.2% | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 41.7% | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 41.2% | -1.2% |
| 1983 | 40.7% | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 40.3% | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 39.9% | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 39.5% | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 39.1% | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 38.7% | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 38.3% | -0.8% |
| 1990 | 38.2% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 38.0% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 38.0% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 38.0% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 38.0% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 37.9% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 37.8% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 37.7% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 37.6% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 37.5% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 37.3% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 37.2% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 37.0% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 36.8% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 36.6% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 36.5% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 36.3% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 36.1% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 35.8% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 35.6% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 35.3% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 34.9% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 34.4% | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 33.5% | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 32.6% | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 31.9% | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 31.7% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 31.6% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 31.5% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 31.4% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 31.2% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 31.1% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 31.1% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 31.0% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 30.9% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 30.8% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 52.5% | 49.4% | 55.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 45.5% | 42.7% | 48.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 40.2% | 38.3% | 42.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 37.9% | 37.5% | 38.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 36.5% | 35.6% | 37.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.9% | 31.4% | 35.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.0% | 30.8% | 31.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 34 Kyrgyzstan 65.3% compare
- 35 Sudan 65.1% compare
- 36 India 64.3% compare
- 37 Grenada 63.3% compare
- 38 Tanzania, United Republic of 63.1% compare
- 39 Yemen 63.0% compare
- 40 Mozambique 62.8% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3085 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 298.09 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 4.2% (2025)
- Rural population 142.68 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.6% (2021)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0421 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2833 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Rural population in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) was 30.8% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 55.6% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.8% in 2025.
- How does Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for rural population?
- Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 37th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) 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.