Rural population in Lower middle income
Lower middle income: Rural population was 58.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Lower middle income, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Lower middle income stood at 58.0%. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Lower middle income peaked at 81.7% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 58.0%, in 2025.
That places Lower middle income 10th out of 45 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Lower middle income, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 81.7% | — |
| 1961 | 81.4% | -0.3% |
| 1962 | 81.2% | -0.3% |
| 1963 | 80.9% | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 80.6% | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 80.3% | -0.4% |
| 1966 | 80.0% | -0.4% |
| 1967 | 79.7% | -0.4% |
| 1968 | 79.4% | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 79.1% | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 78.7% | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 78.3% | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 77.9% | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 77.4% | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 77.1% | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 76.7% | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 76.1% | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 75.6% | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 75.1% | -0.7% |
| 1979 | 74.6% | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 74.1% | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 73.8% | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 73.4% | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 73.1% | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 72.8% | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 72.5% | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 72.2% | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 71.9% | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 71.6% | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 71.3% | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 71.0% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 70.7% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 70.4% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 70.1% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 69.8% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 69.5% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 69.2% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 68.9% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 68.6% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 68.3% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 68.0% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 67.6% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 67.2% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 66.8% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 66.4% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 65.9% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 65.5% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 65.0% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 64.6% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 64.1% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 63.7% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 63.3% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 63.0% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 62.6% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 62.2% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 61.8% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 61.4% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 61.1% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 60.7% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 60.4% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 60.0% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 59.6% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 59.2% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 58.8% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 58.4% | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 58.0% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 80.4% | 79.1% | 81.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 76.7% | 74.6% | 78.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 72.7% | 71.3% | 74.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 69.7% | 68.3% | 71.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 66.1% | 64.1% | 68.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.0% | 60.4% | 63.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.0% | 58.0% | 60.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lower middle income
- 7 Tonga 78.8% compare
- 8 South Sudan 78.3% compare
- 9 Vanuatu 77.7% compare
- 10 Micronesia (country) 77.5% compare
- 11 Ethiopia 75.9% compare
- 12 Antigua and Barbuda 75.7% compare
- 13 Burundi 74.3% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Lower middle income
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 3.49 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.30 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Rural population 1.71 billion (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.5% (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5799 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 440.6 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5919 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Lower middle income?
- Rural population in Lower middle income was 58.0% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Lower middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 81.7% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Lower middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.0% in 2025.
- How does Lower middle income rank for rural population?
- Lower middle income ranks 10th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Lower middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lower middle income 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.