Rural population in Europe & Central Asia
Europe & Central Asia: Rural population was 25.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Europe & Central Asia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Europe & Central Asia stood at 25.9%. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Europe & Central Asia peaked at 45.0% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 25.9%, in 2025.
Europe & Central Asia ranks 38th of 47 groups on this measure, 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, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 45.0% | — |
| 1961 | 44.5% | -1.2% |
| 1962 | 44.0% | -1.1% |
| 1963 | 43.4% | -1.3% |
| 1964 | 42.8% | -1.4% |
| 1965 | 42.2% | -1.4% |
| 1966 | 41.6% | -1.4% |
| 1967 | 41.0% | -1.4% |
| 1968 | 40.4% | -1.4% |
| 1969 | 39.9% | -1.4% |
| 1970 | 39.4% | -1.3% |
| 1971 | 38.9% | -1.2% |
| 1972 | 38.4% | -1.3% |
| 1973 | 37.9% | -1.3% |
| 1974 | 37.4% | -1.3% |
| 1975 | 37.0% | -1.2% |
| 1976 | 36.5% | -1.1% |
| 1977 | 36.2% | -1.0% |
| 1978 | 35.8% | -0.9% |
| 1979 | 35.5% | -0.9% |
| 1980 | 35.1% | -1.0% |
| 1981 | 34.8% | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 34.5% | -0.8% |
| 1983 | 34.3% | -0.8% |
| 1984 | 34.0% | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 33.8% | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 33.5% | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 33.2% | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 33.0% | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 32.8% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 32.6% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 32.5% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 32.5% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 32.4% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 32.3% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 32.2% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 32.0% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 31.8% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 31.7% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 31.6% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 31.3% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 31.1% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 30.9% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 30.8% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 30.6% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 30.4% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 30.2% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 30.0% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 29.8% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 29.6% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 29.4% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 29.2% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 28.8% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 28.3% | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 27.8% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 27.3% | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 27.1% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 27.0% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 26.8% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 26.6% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 26.5% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 26.4% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 26.3% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 26.2% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 26.0% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 25.9% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 42.5% | 39.9% | 45.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 37.3% | 35.5% | 39.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 33.9% | 32.8% | 35.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 32.2% | 31.6% | 32.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 30.5% | 29.6% | 31.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.8% | 26.6% | 29.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.2% | 25.9% | 26.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia
More agriculture & rural data for Europe & Central Asia
- Rural population, per capita 0.2593 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 643.81 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 2.0% (2025)
- Rural population 241.78 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.02 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.029 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Europe & Central Asia?
- Rural population in Europe & Central Asia was 25.9% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 45.0% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.9% in 2025.
- How does Europe & Central Asia rank for rural population?
- Europe & Central Asia ranks 38th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia 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.