Rural population in Netherlands
Netherlands: Rural population was 4.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Netherlands, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Netherlands recorded 4.1% for rural population in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 6.9% on the previous year and down 58.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Netherlands peaked at 40.1% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 4.1%, in 2025.
That places Netherlands 203rd out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 40.1% | — |
| 1961 | 39.9% | -0.5% |
| 1962 | 39.7% | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 39.7% | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 39.1% | -1.3% |
| 1965 | 38.8% | -0.8% |
| 1966 | 38.7% | -0.4% |
| 1967 | 38.4% | -0.8% |
| 1968 | 38.2% | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 38.2% | -0.0% |
| 1970 | 37.9% | -0.7% |
| 1971 | 37.2% | -1.9% |
| 1972 | 36.9% | -0.7% |
| 1973 | 36.5% | -1.2% |
| 1974 | 35.8% | -1.9% |
| 1975 | 35.6% | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 35.5% | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 35.4% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 35.4% | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 35.2% | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 35.0% | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 34.3% | -2.1% |
| 1982 | 33.5% | -2.1% |
| 1983 | 33.1% | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 32.6% | -1.3% |
| 1985 | 32.4% | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 32.0% | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 31.8% | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 31.6% | -0.8% |
| 1989 | 31.2% | -1.1% |
| 1990 | 31.0% | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 30.8% | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 30.7% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 30.2% | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 29.6% | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 29.3% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 27.6% | -5.9% |
| 1997 | 24.4% | -11.4% |
| 1998 | 23.2% | -4.9% |
| 1999 | 22.9% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 21.5% | -6.2% |
| 2001 | 19.8% | -7.9% |
| 2002 | 19.2% | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 18.7% | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 17.7% | -5.1% |
| 2005 | 16.5% | -7.1% |
| 2006 | 15.3% | -7.0% |
| 2007 | 14.6% | -4.9% |
| 2008 | 14.4% | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 13.8% | -4.2% |
| 2010 | 12.6% | -8.2% |
| 2011 | 12.0% | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 11.5% | -4.4% |
| 2013 | 10.8% | -5.6% |
| 2014 | 10.2% | -6.1% |
| 2015 | 9.7% | -4.4% |
| 2016 | 9.4% | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 8.9% | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 7.4% | -16.7% |
| 2019 | 6.1% | -17.4% |
| 2020 | 5.7% | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 5.4% | -6.5% |
| 2022 | 5.0% | -6.6% |
| 2023 | 4.7% | -6.7% |
| 2024 | 4.4% | -6.8% |
| 2025 | 4.1% | -6.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 39.1% | 38.2% | 40.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 36.1% | 35.2% | 37.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 32.8% | 31.2% | 35.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 28.0% | 22.9% | 31.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.2% | 13.8% | 21.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.9% | 6.1% | 12.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.9% | 4.1% | 5.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
- 200 United States Virgin Islands 4.6% compare
- 201 Uruguay 4.3% compare
- 202 Malta 4.3% compare
- 204 San Marino 2.8% compare
- 205 Qatar 0.6% compare
- 206 Bahrain 0.0% compare
- 206 Bermuda 0.0% compare
- 206 Cayman Islands 0.0%
- 206 Gibraltar 0.0%
- 206 Hong Kong 0.0% compare
- 206 Kuwait 0.0% compare
- 206 Macao 0.0% compare
- 206 Monaco 0.0%
- 206 Naoero 0.0%
- 206 Singapore 0.0%
- 206 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 0.0%
- 206 Saint Martin (French part) 0.0%
More agriculture & rural data for Netherlands
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 6.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0168 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,240 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -6.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.0406 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Netherlands?
- Rural population in Netherlands was 4.1% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 40.1% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.1% in 2025.
- How does Netherlands rank for rural population?
- Netherlands ranks 203rd out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 58.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Netherlands 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.