Rural population in Middle income
Middle income: Rural population was 44.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Middle income, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Middle income stood at 44.6%. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 9.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Middle income peaked at 77.0% in 1962 and was at its lowest, 44.6%, in 2025.
That places Middle income 25th out of 45 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 income, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 76.8% | — |
| 1961 | 76.7% | -0.2% |
| 1962 | 77.0% | +0.5% |
| 1963 | 76.9% | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 76.2% | -1.0% |
| 1965 | 76.0% | -0.2% |
| 1966 | 75.8% | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 75.5% | -0.3% |
| 1968 | 75.2% | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 75.0% | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 74.7% | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 74.5% | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 74.2% | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 73.8% | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 73.5% | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 73.1% | -0.6% |
| 1976 | 72.6% | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 72.2% | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 71.6% | -0.7% |
| 1979 | 70.9% | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 70.4% | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 69.8% | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 69.4% | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 68.8% | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 68.0% | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 67.5% | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 67.0% | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 66.5% | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 66.0% | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 65.6% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 65.4% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 64.9% | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 64.4% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 64.0% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 63.6% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 63.1% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 62.5% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 61.7% | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 61.0% | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 60.3% | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 59.6% | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 58.9% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 58.2% | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 57.5% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 56.9% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 56.2% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 55.5% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 54.8% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 54.2% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 53.5% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 53.0% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 52.0% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 51.4% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 50.7% | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 50.0% | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 49.3% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 48.7% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 48.1% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 47.5% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 46.9% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 46.5% | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 45.9% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 45.6% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 45.3% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 44.9% | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 44.6% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 76.1% | 75.0% | 77.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 73.1% | 70.9% | 74.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 67.9% | 65.6% | 70.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 63.1% | 60.3% | 65.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 56.5% | 53.5% | 59.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.7% | 46.9% | 53.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 45.5% | 44.6% | 46.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle income
More agriculture & rural data for Middle income
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 3.43 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.60 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Rural population 2.69 billion (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4459 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 597.13 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0313 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Middle income?
- Rural population in Middle income was 44.6% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 77.0% in 1962.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.6% in 2025.
- How does Middle income rank for rural population?
- Middle income ranks 25th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this 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.