Rural population in World
World: Rural population was 42.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in World, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
World recorded 42.2% for rural population in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in World peaked at 65.8% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 42.2%, in 2025.
That places World 27th out of 45 groups 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 World, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 65.8% | — |
| 1961 | 65.5% | -0.4% |
| 1962 | 65.6% | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 65.4% | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 64.9% | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 64.6% | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 64.4% | -0.4% |
| 1967 | 64.2% | -0.4% |
| 1968 | 64.0% | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 63.7% | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 63.6% | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 63.3% | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 63.1% | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 62.8% | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 62.6% | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 62.3% | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 62.0% | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 61.7% | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 61.4% | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 60.9% | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 60.5% | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 60.1% | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 59.8% | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 59.4% | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 58.9% | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 58.6% | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 58.2% | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 57.9% | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 57.6% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 57.3% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 57.2% | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 56.8% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 56.6% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 56.3% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 56.0% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 55.7% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 55.2% | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 54.7% | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 54.2% | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 53.7% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 53.2% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 52.7% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 52.2% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 51.6% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 51.1% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 50.6% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 50.1% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 49.6% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 49.1% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 48.6% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 48.2% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 47.5% | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 47.1% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 46.6% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 46.1% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 45.6% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 45.1% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 44.7% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 44.2% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 43.9% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 43.6% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 43.2% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 42.9% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 42.7% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 42.4% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 42.2% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 64.8% | 63.7% | 65.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 62.4% | 60.9% | 63.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 58.9% | 57.3% | 60.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 55.6% | 53.7% | 57.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.9% | 48.6% | 53.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.9% | 43.9% | 48.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.8% | 42.2% | 43.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near World
- 24 Solomon Islands 68.7% compare
- 25 Saint Kitts and Nevis 68.1% compare
- 26 Uganda 68.1% compare
- 27 Kenya 67.8% compare
- 28 Mali 67.8% compare
- 29 Madagascar 67.1% compare
- 30 Bangladesh 66.8% compare
More agriculture & rural data for World
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0401 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 577.68 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2984 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4217 units per person (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
- Rural population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Rural population 3.46 billion (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in World?
- Rural population in World was 42.2% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 65.8% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.2% in 2025.
- How does World rank for rural population?
- World ranks 27th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this World 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.