Rural population in Myanmar
Myanmar: Rural population was 69.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Myanmar, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Myanmar recorded 69.4% for rural population in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Myanmar peaked at 81.0% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 69.4%, in 2025.
That places Myanmar 22nd out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Myanmar, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 81.0% | — |
| 1961 | 80.5% | -0.6% |
| 1962 | 80.0% | -0.6% |
| 1963 | 79.5% | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 79.1% | -0.6% |
| 1965 | 78.6% | -0.6% |
| 1966 | 78.2% | -0.6% |
| 1967 | 77.7% | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 77.4% | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 77.0% | -0.5% |
| 1970 | 76.7% | -0.4% |
| 1971 | 76.4% | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 76.2% | -0.3% |
| 1973 | 76.1% | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 75.9% | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 75.8% | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 75.7% | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 75.7% | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 75.6% | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 75.5% | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 75.4% | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 75.4% | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 75.3% | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 75.2% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 75.0% | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 74.9% | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 74.8% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 74.7% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 74.5% | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 74.4% | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 74.2% | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 74.0% | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 73.9% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 73.7% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 73.5% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 73.4% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 73.2% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 73.0% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 72.8% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 72.6% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 72.5% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 72.3% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 72.1% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 71.9% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 71.8% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 71.6% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 71.4% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 71.3% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 71.1% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 71.0% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 70.9% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 70.7% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 70.6% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 70.5% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 70.4% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 70.3% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 70.2% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 70.1% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 70.0% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 69.9% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 69.8% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 69.8% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 69.7% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 69.6% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 69.6% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 69.4% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 78.9% | 77.0% | 81.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 76.0% | 75.5% | 76.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 74.9% | 74.4% | 75.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 73.4% | 72.6% | 74.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 71.7% | 71.0% | 72.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 70.4% | 69.9% | 70.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 69.6% | 69.4% | 69.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Myanmar
- 19 Timor-Leste 71.2% compare
- 20 Burkina Faso 71.1% compare
- 21 Saint Lucia 70.9% compare
- 23 Rwanda 69.1% compare
- 24 Solomon Islands 68.7% compare
- 25 Saint Kitts and Nevis 68.1% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Myanmar
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.253 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 376.69 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4495 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6942 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 25.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 25.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 3.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Myanmar?
- Rural population in Myanmar was 69.4% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Myanmar?
- The highest recorded value was 81.0% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Myanmar?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.4% in 2025.
- How does Myanmar rank for rural population?
- Myanmar ranks 22nd out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Myanmar?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Myanmar 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.