Rural population in Portugal
Portugal: Rural population was 38.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Portugal, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Portugal is 38.5%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Portugal peaked at 69.2% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 38.5%, in 2025.
That places Portugal 97th out of 218 countries 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 Portugal, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 69.2% | — |
| 1961 | 68.8% | -0.5% |
| 1962 | 68.5% | -0.5% |
| 1963 | 68.1% | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 67.7% | -0.6% |
| 1965 | 67.3% | -0.6% |
| 1966 | 66.8% | -0.7% |
| 1967 | 66.3% | -0.7% |
| 1968 | 65.8% | -0.7% |
| 1969 | 65.3% | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 64.8% | -0.8% |
| 1971 | 64.2% | -0.8% |
| 1972 | 63.7% | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 63.1% | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 62.5% | -0.9% |
| 1975 | 61.9% | -1.0% |
| 1976 | 61.3% | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 60.7% | -1.0% |
| 1978 | 60.0% | -1.0% |
| 1979 | 59.4% | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 58.7% | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 58.1% | -1.1% |
| 1982 | 57.4% | -1.1% |
| 1983 | 56.8% | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 56.1% | -1.2% |
| 1985 | 55.5% | -1.2% |
| 1986 | 54.8% | -1.2% |
| 1987 | 54.2% | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 53.5% | -1.2% |
| 1989 | 52.9% | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 52.3% | -1.2% |
| 1991 | 51.6% | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 51.0% | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 50.3% | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 49.7% | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 49.0% | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 48.3% | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 47.6% | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 46.9% | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 46.3% | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 45.6% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 44.9% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 44.2% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 43.4% | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 42.6% | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 41.8% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 41.0% | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 40.3% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 39.6% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 39.2% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 38.9% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 38.9% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 38.9% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 38.9% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 38.9% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 38.9% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 38.9% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 38.9% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 38.9% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 38.9% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 38.9% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 38.9% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 38.9% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 38.8% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 38.7% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 38.5% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 67.4% | 65.3% | 69.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 62.2% | 59.4% | 64.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 55.8% | 52.9% | 58.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 49.3% | 46.3% | 52.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.3% | 39.2% | 45.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.9% | 38.9% | 38.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.8% | 38.5% | 38.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
- 94 Poland 39.9% compare
- 95 Georgia 38.8% compare
- 96 Mauritania 38.5% compare
- 98 Aruba 38.3% compare
- 99 French Polynesia 38.2% compare
- 100 Kazakhstan 37.6% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Portugal
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.28 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0196 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 628.85 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5936 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.385 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Portugal?
- Rural population in Portugal was 38.5% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 69.2% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.5% in 2025.
- How does Portugal rank for rural population?
- Portugal ranks 97th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Portugal 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.