Rural population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD): Rural population was 47.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) recorded 47.4% for rural population in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) peaked at 71.3% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 47.4%, in 2025.
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) ranks 19th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 71.3% | — |
| 1961 | 70.7% | -0.8% |
| 1962 | 70.1% | -0.9% |
| 1963 | 69.5% | -0.9% |
| 1964 | 68.9% | -0.8% |
| 1965 | 68.4% | -0.7% |
| 1966 | 67.9% | -0.7% |
| 1967 | 67.3% | -0.8% |
| 1968 | 66.8% | -0.8% |
| 1969 | 66.3% | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 65.8% | -0.8% |
| 1971 | 65.2% | -0.8% |
| 1972 | 64.7% | -0.8% |
| 1973 | 64.2% | -0.8% |
| 1974 | 63.7% | -0.8% |
| 1975 | 63.1% | -0.8% |
| 1976 | 62.7% | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 62.2% | -0.8% |
| 1978 | 61.7% | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 61.2% | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 60.7% | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 60.0% | -1.0% |
| 1982 | 59.5% | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 59.0% | -0.8% |
| 1984 | 58.5% | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 58.1% | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 57.7% | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 57.3% | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 56.9% | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 56.6% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 56.3% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 56.0% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 55.8% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 55.6% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 55.4% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 55.1% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 54.9% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 54.6% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 54.4% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 54.1% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 53.8% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 53.6% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 53.4% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 53.2% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 52.9% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 52.7% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 52.5% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 52.3% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 52.0% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 51.8% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 51.5% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 51.2% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 50.8% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 50.2% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 49.9% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 49.6% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 49.4% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 49.2% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 49.0% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 48.8% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 48.6% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 48.3% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 48.1% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 47.8% | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 47.6% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 47.4% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 68.7% | 66.3% | 71.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 63.4% | 61.2% | 65.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 58.4% | 56.6% | 60.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 55.2% | 54.1% | 56.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 52.8% | 51.8% | 53.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.0% | 48.8% | 51.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 48.0% | 47.4% | 48.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)
- 16 Guyana 73.5% compare
- 17 Eswatini 73.3% compare
- 18 Chad 72.4% compare
- 19 East Timor 71.2% compare
- 20 Burkina Faso 71.1% compare
- 21 Saint Lucia 70.9% compare
- 22 Myanmar 69.4% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.5 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 297.43 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 14.1% (2025)
- Rural population 354.69 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.3% (2019)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.6% (2017)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4739 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 397.37 current US$ per person (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- Rural population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) was 47.4% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- The highest recorded value was 71.3% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.4% in 2025.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) rank for rural population?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) ranks 19th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 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.