Rural population in Norway
Norway: Rural population was 16.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Norway, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Norway recorded 16.4% for rural population in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 12.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Norway peaked at 51.3% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 16.4%, in 2025.
Norway ranks 169th of 217 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Norway, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 51.3% | — |
| 1961 | 51.0% | -0.7% |
| 1962 | 49.9% | -2.0% |
| 1963 | 48.4% | -3.2% |
| 1964 | 46.4% | -4.1% |
| 1965 | 44.1% | -4.8% |
| 1966 | 41.8% | -5.3% |
| 1967 | 39.5% | -5.5% |
| 1968 | 37.4% | -5.3% |
| 1969 | 35.6% | -4.7% |
| 1970 | 34.4% | -3.5% |
| 1971 | 33.6% | -2.3% |
| 1972 | 32.9% | -2.0% |
| 1973 | 32.3% | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 31.7% | -1.8% |
| 1975 | 31.1% | -1.7% |
| 1976 | 30.7% | -1.5% |
| 1977 | 30.3% | -1.4% |
| 1978 | 29.9% | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 29.6% | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 29.4% | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 29.2% | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 29.0% | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 28.9% | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 28.8% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 28.7% | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 28.6% | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 28.5% | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 28.4% | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 28.3% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 28.1% | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 27.8% | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 27.4% | -1.8% |
| 1993 | 26.8% | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 26.4% | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 26.1% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 25.8% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 25.3% | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 24.7% | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 24.2% | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 23.9% | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 23.6% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 23.2% | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 22.7% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 22.4% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 22.2% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 21.9% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 21.6% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 21.2% | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 20.9% | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 20.8% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 20.7% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 20.5% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 20.0% | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 19.4% | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 18.8% | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 18.3% | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 18.0% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 17.8% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 17.5% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 17.3% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 17.1% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 17.0% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 16.9% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 16.7% | -1.5% |
| 2025 | 16.4% | -1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 44.5% | 35.6% | 51.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 31.6% | 29.6% | 34.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 28.8% | 28.3% | 29.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.2% | 24.2% | 28.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.4% | 20.9% | 23.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.2% | 17.5% | 20.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.9% | 16.4% | 17.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Norway
- 166 Germany 17.9% compare
- 167 Canada 17.1% compare
- 168 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 16.7% compare
- 170 New Zealand 16.0% compare
- 171 Saudi Arabia 15.4% compare
- 172 Peru 14.4% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Norway
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0164 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,553 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.7644 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1643 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Norway?
- Rural population in Norway was 16.4% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 51.3% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.4% in 2025.
- How does Norway rank for rural population?
- Norway ranks 169th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Norway 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.