Rural population in IBRD only
IBRD only: Rural population was 41.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in IBRD only, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in IBRD only stood at 41.4%. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in IBRD only peaked at 73.1% in 1962 and was at its lowest, 41.4%, in 2025.
IBRD only ranks 28th of 45 groups 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 IBRD only, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 72.9% | — |
| 1961 | 72.7% | -0.3% |
| 1962 | 73.1% | +0.5% |
| 1963 | 73.0% | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 72.2% | -1.1% |
| 1965 | 72.0% | -0.2% |
| 1966 | 71.8% | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 71.6% | -0.3% |
| 1968 | 71.3% | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 71.1% | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 70.9% | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 70.7% | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 70.4% | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 70.0% | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 69.7% | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 69.3% | -0.6% |
| 1976 | 68.9% | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 68.5% | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 68.0% | -0.7% |
| 1979 | 67.3% | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 66.8% | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 66.2% | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 65.8% | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 65.2% | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 64.4% | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 63.9% | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 63.4% | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 62.9% | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 62.5% | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 62.1% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 61.9% | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 61.5% | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 61.1% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 60.7% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 60.3% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 59.9% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 59.2% | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 58.5% | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 57.8% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 57.1% | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 56.3% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 55.7% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 55.0% | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 54.3% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 53.7% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 53.1% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 52.4% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 51.7% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 51.1% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 50.4% | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 49.9% | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 48.9% | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 48.2% | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 47.5% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 46.8% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 46.1% | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 45.4% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 44.8% | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 44.1% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 43.6% | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 43.1% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 42.6% | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 42.2% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 42.0% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 41.7% | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 41.4% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 72.2% | 71.1% | 73.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 69.4% | 67.3% | 70.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 64.3% | 62.1% | 66.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 59.8% | 57.1% | 61.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 53.4% | 50.4% | 56.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.5% | 43.6% | 49.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.2% | 41.4% | 43.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near IBRD only
- 25 Saint Kitts and Nevis 68.1% compare
- 26 Uganda 68.1% compare
- 27 Kenya 67.8% compare
- 28 Mali 67.8% compare
- 29 Madagascar 67.1% compare
- 30 Bangladesh 66.8% compare
- 31 Comoros 66.1% compare
More agriculture & rural data for IBRD only
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 3.06 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.29 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Rural population 2.07 billion (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4135 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$), per 656.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.2241 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in IBRD only?
- Rural population in IBRD only was 41.4% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in IBRD only?
- The highest recorded value was 73.1% in 1962.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in IBRD only?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.4% in 2025.
- How does IBRD only rank for rural population?
- IBRD only ranks 28th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in IBRD only?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this IBRD only 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.