Rural population in Spain
Spain: Rural population was 19.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Spain, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Spain is 19.5%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Spain peaked at 43.5% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 19.5%, in 2025.
Spain ranks 163rd 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 Spain, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 43.5% | — |
| 1961 | 42.9% | -1.6% |
| 1962 | 42.0% | -1.9% |
| 1963 | 41.1% | -2.3% |
| 1964 | 40.0% | -2.6% |
| 1965 | 38.9% | -2.8% |
| 1966 | 37.7% | -2.9% |
| 1967 | 36.6% | -2.9% |
| 1968 | 35.6% | -2.9% |
| 1969 | 34.6% | -2.7% |
| 1970 | 33.8% | -2.3% |
| 1971 | 33.2% | -1.9% |
| 1972 | 32.6% | -1.8% |
| 1973 | 32.0% | -1.8% |
| 1974 | 31.5% | -1.8% |
| 1975 | 30.9% | -1.7% |
| 1976 | 30.4% | -1.7% |
| 1977 | 29.9% | -1.7% |
| 1978 | 29.4% | -1.6% |
| 1979 | 28.9% | -1.6% |
| 1980 | 28.5% | -1.6% |
| 1981 | 28.0% | -1.5% |
| 1982 | 27.6% | -1.5% |
| 1983 | 27.2% | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 26.9% | -1.3% |
| 1985 | 26.5% | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 26.2% | -1.2% |
| 1987 | 25.9% | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 25.6% | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 25.4% | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 25.2% | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 25.0% | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 24.8% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 24.7% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 24.5% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 24.4% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 24.3% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 24.2% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 24.1% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 24.0% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 23.8% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 23.7% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 23.5% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 23.3% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 23.0% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 22.8% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 22.5% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 22.2% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 22.0% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 21.7% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 21.5% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 21.3% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 21.2% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 21.0% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 20.9% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 20.8% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 20.6% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 20.5% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 20.4% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 20.4% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 20.3% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 20.2% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 20.0% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 19.9% | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 19.7% | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 19.5% | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 39.3% | 34.6% | 43.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 31.3% | 28.9% | 33.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 26.8% | 25.4% | 28.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 24.5% | 24.0% | 25.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.9% | 21.7% | 23.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.9% | 20.4% | 21.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.9% | 19.5% | 20.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Spain
- 160 Mexico 20.0% compare
- 161 United States 19.8% compare
- 162 American Samoa 19.5% compare
- 164 South Korea 18.8% compare
- 165 Bahamas 18.7% compare
- 166 Germany 17.9% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Spain
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0268 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,036 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0113 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1949 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture share gdp 2.68 (2025)
- Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 2.68 (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Spain?
- Rural population in Spain was 19.5% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 43.5% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.5% in 2025.
- How does Spain rank for rural population?
- Spain ranks 163rd out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain 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.