Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) was 63.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Least developed countries, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Least developed countries recorded 63.4% for rural population in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Least developed countries peaked at 90.6% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 63.4%, in 2025.
Least developed countries ranks 4th of 47 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 90.6% | — |
| 1961 | 90.4% | -0.3% |
| 1962 | 90.1% | -0.3% |
| 1963 | 89.9% | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 89.6% | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 89.3% | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 89.0% | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 88.7% | -0.4% |
| 1968 | 88.3% | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 87.9% | -0.5% |
| 1970 | 87.5% | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 87.0% | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 86.4% | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 86.0% | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 85.8% | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 85.6% | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 85.0% | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 84.4% | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 83.9% | -0.7% |
| 1979 | 83.3% | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 82.7% | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 82.3% | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 81.8% | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 81.4% | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 81.0% | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 80.6% | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 80.2% | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 79.7% | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 79.3% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 78.8% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 78.4% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 78.0% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 77.6% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 77.3% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 76.9% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 76.5% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 76.2% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 75.8% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 75.5% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 75.1% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 74.7% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 74.3% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 73.9% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 73.4% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 73.0% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 72.5% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 72.0% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 71.5% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 71.0% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 70.5% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 70.1% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 69.6% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 69.2% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 68.8% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 68.4% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 67.9% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 67.4% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 67.0% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 66.5% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 66.0% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 65.6% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 65.2% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 64.7% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 64.3% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 63.8% | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 63.4% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 89.4% | 87.9% | 90.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 85.5% | 83.3% | 87.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 80.8% | 78.8% | 82.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.7% | 75.1% | 78.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 72.7% | 70.5% | 74.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 68.1% | 66.0% | 70.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.5% | 63.4% | 65.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
More agriculture & rural data for Least developed countries
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2019)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.55 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6336 units per person (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 3.0% (2023)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 337.24 billion current US$ (2025)
- Rural population 769.36 million (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 20.4% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 277.75 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Least developed countries?
- Rural population in Least developed countries was 63.4% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 90.6% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.4% in 2025.
- How does Least developed countries rank for rural population?
- Least developed countries ranks 4th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Least developed countries 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.