Rural population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Rural population was 44.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan recorded 44.0% for rural population in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 70.3% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 44.0%, in 2025.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 26th out of 47 groups 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 70.3% | — |
| 1961 | 69.7% | -0.9% |
| 1962 | 69.0% | -0.9% |
| 1963 | 68.4% | -0.9% |
| 1964 | 67.8% | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 67.2% | -0.8% |
| 1966 | 66.7% | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 66.1% | -0.9% |
| 1968 | 65.5% | -0.8% |
| 1969 | 65.0% | -0.9% |
| 1970 | 64.4% | -0.9% |
| 1971 | 63.8% | -0.9% |
| 1972 | 63.2% | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 62.6% | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 62.0% | -0.9% |
| 1975 | 61.5% | -0.9% |
| 1976 | 61.0% | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 60.4% | -0.9% |
| 1978 | 59.9% | -0.9% |
| 1979 | 59.3% | -0.9% |
| 1980 | 58.7% | -1.0% |
| 1981 | 58.1% | -1.1% |
| 1982 | 57.4% | -1.1% |
| 1983 | 56.9% | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 56.4% | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 56.0% | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 55.5% | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 55.1% | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 54.7% | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 54.3% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 54.0% | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 53.8% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 53.4% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 53.2% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 53.0% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 52.7% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 52.5% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 52.2% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 51.9% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 51.6% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 51.3% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 51.0% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 50.7% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 50.5% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 50.2% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 49.9% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 49.6% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 49.3% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 49.0% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 48.7% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 48.5% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 48.2% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 47.7% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 47.1% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 46.7% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 46.4% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 46.1% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 45.9% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 45.8% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 45.6% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 45.3% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 45.2% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 44.9% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 44.6% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 44.3% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 44.0% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 67.6% | 65.0% | 70.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 61.8% | 59.3% | 64.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 56.3% | 54.3% | 58.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 52.8% | 51.6% | 54.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.0% | 48.7% | 51.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.8% | 45.6% | 48.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.7% | 44.0% | 45.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- 23 Rwanda 69.1% compare
- 24 Solomon Islands 68.7% compare
- 25 Saint Kitts and Nevis 68.1% compare
- 26 Uganda 68.1% compare
- 27 Kenya 67.8% compare
- 28 Mali 67.8% compare
- 29 Channel Islands 67.4% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.86 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 347.82 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 6.8% (2025)
- Rural population 364.70 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.2% (2023)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4404 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.23 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 420.06 current US$ per person (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Rural population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 44.0% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 70.3% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.0% in 2025.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for rural population?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 26th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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.