Rural population in High income
High income: Rural population was 19.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in High income, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in High income stood at 19.8%. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in High income peaked at 38.6% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 19.8%, in 2025.
That places High income 39th out of 45 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 High income, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 38.6% | — |
| 1961 | 38.0% | -1.6% |
| 1962 | 37.4% | -1.6% |
| 1963 | 36.8% | -1.6% |
| 1964 | 36.1% | -1.8% |
| 1965 | 35.5% | -1.7% |
| 1966 | 34.9% | -1.7% |
| 1967 | 34.3% | -1.7% |
| 1968 | 33.7% | -1.7% |
| 1969 | 33.2% | -1.6% |
| 1970 | 32.7% | -1.5% |
| 1971 | 32.2% | -1.4% |
| 1972 | 31.7% | -1.5% |
| 1973 | 31.3% | -1.5% |
| 1974 | 30.8% | -1.6% |
| 1975 | 30.4% | -1.3% |
| 1976 | 30.0% | -1.2% |
| 1977 | 29.7% | -1.1% |
| 1978 | 29.4% | -1.0% |
| 1979 | 29.1% | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 28.7% | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 28.5% | -1.0% |
| 1982 | 28.2% | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 27.9% | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 27.6% | -1.0% |
| 1985 | 27.4% | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 27.1% | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 26.8% | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 26.5% | -1.1% |
| 1989 | 26.2% | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 26.0% | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 25.8% | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 25.6% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 25.4% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 25.2% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 25.0% | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 24.7% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 24.5% | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 24.3% | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 24.1% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 23.9% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 23.6% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 23.3% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 22.9% | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 22.6% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 22.3% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 22.0% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 21.7% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 21.5% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 21.3% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 21.2% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 21.0% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 20.9% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 20.8% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 20.7% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 20.6% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 20.5% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 20.4% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 20.4% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 20.3% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 20.3% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 20.2% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 20.1% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 20.0% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 19.9% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 19.8% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 35.9% | 33.2% | 38.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 30.7% | 29.1% | 32.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 27.5% | 26.2% | 28.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 25.1% | 24.1% | 26.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.5% | 21.3% | 23.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.7% | 20.3% | 21.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.0% | 19.8% | 20.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near High income
More agriculture & rural data for High income
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.41 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 904.10 billion current US$ (2024)
- Rural population 281.21 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1975 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$), per 637.62 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1782 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in High income?
- Rural population in High income was 19.8% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in High income?
- The highest recorded value was 38.6% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in High income?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.8% in 2025.
- How does High income rank for rural population?
- High income ranks 39th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in High income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this High income 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.