Rural population in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Rural population was 18.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Latin America & Caribbean, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Latin America & Caribbean stood at 18.5%. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 51.1% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 18.5%, in 2025.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 46th out of 47 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 Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 51.1% | — |
| 1961 | 50.4% | -1.4% |
| 1962 | 49.7% | -1.4% |
| 1963 | 49.0% | -1.5% |
| 1964 | 48.2% | -1.5% |
| 1965 | 47.5% | -1.6% |
| 1966 | 46.7% | -1.6% |
| 1967 | 45.9% | -1.7% |
| 1968 | 45.1% | -1.7% |
| 1969 | 44.3% | -1.8% |
| 1970 | 43.5% | -1.8% |
| 1971 | 42.7% | -1.9% |
| 1972 | 41.8% | -2.0% |
| 1973 | 40.9% | -2.2% |
| 1974 | 40.0% | -2.3% |
| 1975 | 39.0% | -2.3% |
| 1976 | 38.1% | -2.4% |
| 1977 | 37.2% | -2.4% |
| 1978 | 36.4% | -2.3% |
| 1979 | 35.6% | -2.2% |
| 1980 | 34.8% | -2.0% |
| 1981 | 34.2% | -1.9% |
| 1982 | 33.6% | -1.8% |
| 1983 | 33.0% | -1.8% |
| 1984 | 32.4% | -1.8% |
| 1985 | 31.8% | -1.7% |
| 1986 | 31.3% | -1.7% |
| 1987 | 30.8% | -1.7% |
| 1988 | 30.2% | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 29.7% | -1.7% |
| 1990 | 29.2% | -1.6% |
| 1991 | 28.8% | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 28.3% | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 27.9% | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 27.4% | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 27.0% | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 26.5% | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 26.0% | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 25.4% | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 24.9% | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 24.4% | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 24.0% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 23.6% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 23.3% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 23.0% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 22.7% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 22.5% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 22.3% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 22.0% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 21.8% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 21.6% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 21.4% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 21.2% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 21.0% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 20.8% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 20.6% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 20.4% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 20.2% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 20.0% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 19.8% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 19.6% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 19.4% | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 19.2% | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 19.0% | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 18.7% | -1.2% |
| 2025 | 18.5% | -1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 47.8% | 44.3% | 51.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 39.5% | 35.6% | 43.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 32.2% | 29.7% | 34.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 27.1% | 24.9% | 29.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.0% | 21.8% | 24.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.7% | 19.8% | 21.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.0% | 18.5% | 19.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
More agriculture & rural data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Rural population, per capita 0.1849 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 502.91 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 6.8% (2025)
- Rural population 123.28 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.3% (2024)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.068 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.5943 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Rural population in Latin America & Caribbean was 18.5% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 51.1% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.5% in 2025.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for rural population?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 46th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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.