Rural population in Finland
Finland: Rural population was 25.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Finland, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Finland is 25.5%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 11.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Finland peaked at 44.4% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 25.5%, in 2025.
Finland ranks 143rd of 217 countries 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 Finland, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 44.4% | — |
| 1961 | 43.7% | -1.5% |
| 1962 | 43.2% | -1.4% |
| 1963 | 42.6% | -1.2% |
| 1964 | 42.1% | -1.1% |
| 1965 | 41.7% | -1.1% |
| 1966 | 41.3% | -1.0% |
| 1967 | 40.9% | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 40.5% | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 40.1% | -0.9% |
| 1970 | 39.7% | -1.0% |
| 1971 | 39.3% | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 38.9% | -1.1% |
| 1973 | 38.4% | -1.2% |
| 1974 | 37.9% | -1.3% |
| 1975 | 37.6% | -0.9% |
| 1976 | 37.4% | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 37.2% | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 37.1% | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 37.0% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 36.9% | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 36.8% | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 36.8% | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 36.7% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 36.6% | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 36.5% | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 36.4% | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 36.3% | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 36.2% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 36.2% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 36.1% | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 36.0% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 35.9% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 35.7% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 35.5% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 35.2% | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 34.8% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 34.3% | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 33.8% | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 33.3% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 32.9% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 32.5% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 32.2% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 32.0% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 31.7% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 31.5% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 31.2% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 31.0% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 30.7% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 30.5% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 30.2% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 29.9% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 29.6% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 29.3% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 29.0% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 28.7% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 28.4% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 28.0% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 27.7% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 27.3% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 26.9% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 26.6% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 26.3% | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 26.0% | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 25.7% | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 25.5% | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 42.1% | 40.1% | 44.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 38.1% | 37.0% | 39.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 36.5% | 36.2% | 36.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 35.1% | 33.3% | 36.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 31.6% | 30.5% | 32.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.8% | 27.3% | 30.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.2% | 25.5% | 26.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Finland
- 140 Djibouti 27.0% compare
- 141 Dominica 26.0% compare
- 142 Bulgaria 25.8% compare
- 144 Brunei Darussalam 25.0% compare
- 145 Russian Federation 24.7% compare
- 146 El Salvador 24.5% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Finland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 12.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0261 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,466 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.5476 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2548 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 7.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Finland?
- Rural population in Finland was 25.5% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 44.4% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.5% in 2025.
- How does Finland rank for rural population?
- Finland ranks 143rd out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Finland 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.