Rural population in France
France: Rural population was 21.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in France, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
France recorded 21.2% for rural population in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in France peaked at 38.3% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 21.2%, in 2025.
That places France 153rd out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in France, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 38.3% | — |
| 1961 | 37.5% | -2.2% |
| 1962 | 36.5% | -2.5% |
| 1963 | 35.4% | -3.0% |
| 1964 | 34.1% | -3.6% |
| 1965 | 32.8% | -3.9% |
| 1966 | 31.6% | -3.8% |
| 1967 | 30.5% | -3.3% |
| 1968 | 29.8% | -2.4% |
| 1969 | 29.2% | -2.0% |
| 1970 | 28.6% | -2.0% |
| 1971 | 28.1% | -1.8% |
| 1972 | 27.7% | -1.6% |
| 1973 | 27.3% | -1.3% |
| 1974 | 27.1% | -0.9% |
| 1975 | 27.0% | -0.4% |
| 1976 | 26.9% | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 26.9% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 26.8% | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 26.8% | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 26.8% | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 26.7% | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 26.6% | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 26.6% | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 26.5% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 26.4% | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 26.4% | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 26.3% | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 26.2% | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 26.1% | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 25.9% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 25.8% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 25.6% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 25.4% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 25.2% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 24.9% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 24.6% | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 24.4% | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 24.1% | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 23.8% | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 23.5% | -1.5% |
| 2001 | 23.1% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 22.7% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 22.5% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 22.5% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 22.6% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 22.7% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 22.8% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 22.8% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 22.9% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 22.9% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 22.9% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 22.8% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 22.8% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 22.6% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 22.2% | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 21.4% | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 21.4% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 21.3% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 21.3% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 21.3% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 21.3% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 21.2% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 21.2% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 21.2% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 21.2% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 33.6% | 29.2% | 38.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 27.3% | 26.8% | 28.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 26.4% | 26.1% | 26.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 25.0% | 23.8% | 25.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.8% | 22.5% | 23.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.2% | 21.3% | 22.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.2% | 21.2% | 21.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near France
More agriculture & rural data for France
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 14.99 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.014 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 687.36 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.033 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2115 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in France?
- Rural population in France was 21.2% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 38.3% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.2% in 2025.
- How does France rank for rural population?
- France ranks 153rd out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France 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.