Rural population in Italy
Italy: Rural population was 30.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Italy, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Italy stood at 30.3%. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Italy peaked at 40.7% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 30.3%, in 2025.
Italy ranks 126th 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 Italy, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 40.7% | — |
| 1961 | 40.2% | -1.3% |
| 1962 | 39.7% | -1.3% |
| 1963 | 39.1% | -1.3% |
| 1964 | 38.6% | -1.4% |
| 1965 | 38.0% | -1.5% |
| 1966 | 37.5% | -1.5% |
| 1967 | 36.9% | -1.4% |
| 1968 | 36.4% | -1.4% |
| 1969 | 36.0% | -1.3% |
| 1970 | 35.5% | -1.2% |
| 1971 | 35.2% | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 34.9% | -0.8% |
| 1973 | 34.6% | -0.8% |
| 1974 | 34.3% | -0.8% |
| 1975 | 34.1% | -0.8% |
| 1976 | 33.8% | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 33.6% | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 33.4% | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 33.3% | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 33.2% | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 33.1% | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 33.1% | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 33.1% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 33.1% | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 33.2% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 33.2% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 33.2% | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 33.2% | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 33.3% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 33.3% | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 33.3% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 33.3% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 33.3% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 33.2% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 33.2% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 33.1% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 33.0% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 33.0% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 32.9% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 32.8% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 32.7% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 32.6% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 32.6% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 32.5% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 32.4% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 32.3% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 32.2% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 32.1% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 32.0% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 31.8% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 31.6% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 31.2% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 30.7% | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 30.4% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 30.4% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 30.4% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 30.5% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 30.5% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 30.5% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 30.5% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 30.5% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 30.5% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 30.5% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 30.4% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 30.3% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 38.3% | 36.0% | 40.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 34.3% | 33.3% | 35.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 33.2% | 33.1% | 33.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 33.2% | 32.9% | 33.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.4% | 32.0% | 32.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.8% | 30.4% | 31.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.4% | 30.3% | 30.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More agriculture & rural data for Italy
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.12 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0207 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 894.54 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.3131 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3032 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Italy?
- Rural population in Italy was 30.3% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 40.7% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.3% in 2025.
- How does Italy rank for rural population?
- Italy ranks 126th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Italy 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.