Rural population in India
India: Rural population was 64.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in India, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in India is 64.3%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in India peaked at 82.1% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 64.3%, in 2025.
India ranks 35th of 217 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in India, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 82.1% | — |
| 1961 | 82.0% | -0.1% |
| 1962 | 81.9% | -0.1% |
| 1963 | 81.7% | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 81.6% | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 81.4% | -0.2% |
| 1966 | 81.2% | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 81.0% | -0.3% |
| 1968 | 80.8% | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 80.5% | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 80.3% | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 80.0% | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 79.7% | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 79.4% | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 79.0% | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 78.5% | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 78.1% | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 77.6% | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 77.2% | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 76.8% | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 76.5% | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 76.2% | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 76.0% | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 75.7% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 75.5% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 75.3% | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 75.2% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 75.0% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 74.8% | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 74.6% | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 74.4% | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 74.2% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 74.0% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 73.8% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 73.6% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 73.4% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 73.2% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 73.0% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 72.8% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 72.6% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 72.4% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 72.1% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 71.8% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 71.5% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 71.2% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 70.9% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 70.6% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 70.2% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 69.9% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 69.5% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 69.1% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 68.7% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 68.4% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 68.1% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 67.8% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 67.5% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 67.1% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 66.8% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 66.5% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 66.2% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 65.9% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 65.6% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 65.2% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 64.9% | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 64.6% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 64.3% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 81.4% | 80.5% | 82.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 78.7% | 76.8% | 80.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 75.5% | 74.6% | 76.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 73.5% | 72.6% | 74.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 71.0% | 69.5% | 72.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 67.6% | 66.2% | 69.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.1% | 64.3% | 65.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More agriculture & rural data for India
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -2.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1623 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 438.73 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4067 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6431 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in India?
- Rural population in India was 64.3% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 82.1% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 64.3% in 2025.
- How does India rank for rural population?
- India ranks 35th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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.