Rural population in Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: Rural population was 20.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Marshall Islands, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Marshall Islands is 20.9%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.8% on the previous year and down 14.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Marshall Islands peaked at 65.2% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 20.9%, in 2025.
That places Marshall Islands 154th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Marshall Islands, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 65.2% | — |
| 1961 | 64.0% | -1.8% |
| 1962 | 62.6% | -2.1% |
| 1963 | 61.2% | -2.3% |
| 1964 | 59.6% | -2.6% |
| 1965 | 57.9% | -2.8% |
| 1966 | 56.2% | -3.0% |
| 1967 | 54.4% | -3.2% |
| 1968 | 52.1% | -4.3% |
| 1969 | 49.0% | -5.9% |
| 1970 | 45.7% | -6.8% |
| 1971 | 42.6% | -6.9% |
| 1972 | 40.1% | -5.9% |
| 1973 | 38.7% | -3.4% |
| 1974 | 38.5% | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 38.8% | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 39.1% | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 39.5% | +1.1% |
| 1978 | 39.9% | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 40.2% | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 40.4% | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 40.1% | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 39.4% | -1.7% |
| 1983 | 38.4% | -2.5% |
| 1984 | 37.2% | -3.1% |
| 1985 | 36.0% | -3.3% |
| 1986 | 34.9% | -3.2% |
| 1987 | 33.9% | -2.7% |
| 1988 | 33.3% | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 33.1% | -0.8% |
| 1990 | 32.9% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 32.8% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 32.7% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 32.6% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 32.5% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 32.5% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 32.4% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 32.3% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 32.1% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 32.0% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 31.7% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 31.4% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 31.0% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 30.5% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 29.9% | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 29.4% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 28.8% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 28.2% | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 27.6% | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 27.1% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 26.6% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 26.1% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 25.7% | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 25.3% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 24.9% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 24.5% | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 24.1% | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 23.8% | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 23.4% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 23.1% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 22.7% | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 22.4% | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 22.0% | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 21.6% | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 21.3% | -1.7% |
| 2025 | 20.9% | -1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 58.2% | 49.0% | 65.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 40.3% | 38.5% | 45.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 36.7% | 33.1% | 40.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 32.5% | 32.0% | 32.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.6% | 27.1% | 31.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.8% | 23.1% | 26.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.8% | 20.9% | 22.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Marshall Islands
More agriculture & rural data for Marshall Islands
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2089 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1994 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,513 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -5.06 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 56.82 million current US$ (2024)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 19.9% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 19.9% (2024)
- Rural population 7,581 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Marshall Islands?
- Rural population in Marshall Islands was 20.9% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Marshall Islands?
- The highest recorded value was 65.2% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Marshall Islands?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.9% in 2025.
- How does Marshall Islands rank for rural population?
- Marshall Islands ranks 154th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Marshall Islands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Marshall Islands 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.