Rural population in Small states
Small states: Rural population was 47.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Small states, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Small states recorded 47.9% for rural population 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 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Small states peaked at 66.2% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 47.9%, in 2025.
Small states ranks 18th of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Small states, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 66.2% | — |
| 1961 | 65.6% | -0.9% |
| 1962 | 64.9% | -1.0% |
| 1963 | 64.3% | -1.0% |
| 1964 | 63.6% | -1.1% |
| 1965 | 62.9% | -1.1% |
| 1966 | 62.3% | -1.0% |
| 1967 | 61.7% | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 61.0% | -1.0% |
| 1969 | 60.5% | -0.9% |
| 1970 | 60.0% | -0.8% |
| 1971 | 59.5% | -0.8% |
| 1972 | 59.0% | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 58.5% | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 57.8% | -1.1% |
| 1975 | 57.1% | -1.2% |
| 1976 | 56.5% | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 56.0% | -0.9% |
| 1978 | 55.5% | -0.9% |
| 1979 | 55.1% | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 54.8% | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 54.5% | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 54.2% | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 53.9% | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 53.6% | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 53.3% | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 53.0% | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 52.7% | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 52.4% | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 52.1% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 51.9% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 51.7% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 51.6% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 51.6% | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 51.5% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 51.4% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 51.4% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 51.4% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 51.3% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 51.0% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 50.7% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 50.7% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 50.7% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 50.6% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 50.5% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 50.5% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 50.4% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 50.3% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 50.2% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 50.1% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 50.0% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 50.0% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 49.9% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 49.8% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 49.7% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 49.6% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 49.4% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 49.3% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 49.1% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 48.9% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 48.8% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 48.7% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 48.5% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 48.3% | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 48.1% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 47.9% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 63.3% | 60.5% | 66.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 57.5% | 55.1% | 60.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 53.4% | 52.1% | 54.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 51.5% | 51.0% | 51.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.5% | 50.1% | 50.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.6% | 48.9% | 50.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 48.4% | 47.9% | 48.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Small states
- 15 Tajikistan 73.8% compare
- 16 Guyana 73.5% compare
- 17 Eswatini 73.3% compare
- 18 Chad 72.4% compare
- 19 Timor-Leste 71.2% compare
- 20 Burkina Faso 71.1% compare
- 21 Saint Lucia 70.9% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Small states
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 12.45 billion current US$ (2025)
- Rural population 9.75 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.2% (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.479 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 611.84 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.39 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Small states?
- Rural population in Small states was 47.9% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Small states?
- The highest recorded value was 66.2% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Small states?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.9% in 2025.
- How does Small states rank for rural population?
- Small states ranks 18th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Small states?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Small states 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.