Rural population in Mexico
Mexico: Rural population was 20.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Mexico, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Mexico recorded 20.0% for rural population in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Mexico peaked at 49.3% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 20.0%, in 2025.
That places Mexico 160th 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 Mexico, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 49.3% | — |
| 1961 | 48.4% | -1.7% |
| 1962 | 47.6% | -1.7% |
| 1963 | 46.7% | -1.8% |
| 1964 | 45.9% | -1.8% |
| 1965 | 45.0% | -1.8% |
| 1966 | 44.2% | -1.9% |
| 1967 | 43.4% | -1.9% |
| 1968 | 42.6% | -1.9% |
| 1969 | 41.8% | -1.9% |
| 1970 | 41.0% | -1.9% |
| 1971 | 40.2% | -1.9% |
| 1972 | 39.4% | -1.9% |
| 1973 | 38.6% | -2.0% |
| 1974 | 37.9% | -2.0% |
| 1975 | 37.1% | -2.0% |
| 1976 | 36.4% | -2.0% |
| 1977 | 35.7% | -2.0% |
| 1978 | 35.0% | -1.9% |
| 1979 | 34.3% | -1.9% |
| 1980 | 33.7% | -1.8% |
| 1981 | 33.1% | -1.8% |
| 1982 | 32.5% | -1.8% |
| 1983 | 31.9% | -1.7% |
| 1984 | 31.4% | -1.7% |
| 1985 | 30.9% | -1.7% |
| 1986 | 30.4% | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 29.9% | -1.6% |
| 1988 | 29.4% | -1.6% |
| 1989 | 29.0% | -1.5% |
| 1990 | 28.5% | -1.5% |
| 1991 | 28.1% | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 27.8% | -1.4% |
| 1993 | 27.4% | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 27.0% | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 26.7% | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 26.4% | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 26.0% | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 25.7% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 25.4% | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 25.1% | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 24.7% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 24.3% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 24.0% | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 23.7% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 23.5% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 23.5% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 23.5% | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 23.5% | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 23.5% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 23.5% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 23.4% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 23.3% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 23.2% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 23.0% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 22.8% | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 22.6% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 22.3% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 22.0% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 21.6% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 21.3% | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 21.1% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 20.8% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 20.5% | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 20.2% | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 20.0% | -1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 45.5% | 41.8% | 49.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 37.5% | 34.3% | 41.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 31.2% | 29.0% | 33.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.9% | 25.4% | 28.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.9% | 23.5% | 25.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.8% | 21.6% | 23.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.7% | 20.0% | 21.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
- 157 Oman 20.5% compare
- 158 Belarus 20.5% compare
- 159 Costa Rica 20.3% compare
- 161 United States 19.8% compare
- 162 American Samoa 19.5% compare
- 163 Spain 19.5% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Mexico
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.4963 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0388 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 539.47 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.5998 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1996 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 3.9% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 3.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Mexico?
- Rural population in Mexico was 20.0% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 49.3% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.0% in 2025.
- How does Mexico rank for rural population?
- Mexico ranks 160th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mexico 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.