Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) in Yemen
Yemen: Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) was 63.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
63.0%
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
39th
of 218 countries
All-time high
96.6%
in 1960
All-time low
63.0%
in 2025
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Rural population in Yemen, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Yemen recorded 63.0% for rural population in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Yemen peaked at 96.6% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 63.0%, in 2025.
Yemen ranks 39th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) in Yemen, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 96.6% | — |
| 1961 | 96.4% | -0.2% |
| 1962 | 96.2% | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 96.0% | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 95.8% | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 95.5% | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 95.2% | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 95.0% | -0.3% |
| 1968 | 94.7% | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 94.3% | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 94.0% | -0.4% |
| 1971 | 93.6% | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 93.1% | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 92.6% | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 92.0% | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 91.3% | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 90.6% | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 89.9% | -0.8% |
| 1978 | 89.2% | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 88.4% | -0.9% |
| 1980 | 87.6% | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 86.8% | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 86.0% | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 85.3% | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 84.5% | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 83.7% | -0.9% |
| 1986 | 83.0% | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 82.2% | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 81.4% | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 80.6% | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 79.8% | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 79.0% | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 78.2% | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 77.5% | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 76.8% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 76.2% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 75.6% | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 75.0% | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 74.5% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 73.9% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 73.4% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 72.9% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 72.4% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 72.0% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 71.5% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 71.1% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 70.8% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 70.4% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 70.0% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 69.7% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 69.4% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 69.1% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 68.8% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 68.6% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 68.1% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 67.6% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 67.0% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 66.4% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 65.8% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 65.1% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 64.3% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 63.9% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 63.7% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 63.4% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 63.2% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 63.0% | -0.4% |
Yemen compared with similar countries
- Yemen's 63.0% is below the median for low income countries, which is 65.5%, 96% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Yemen's 63.0% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 20.5%, 3.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 95.6% | 94.3% | 96.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 91.5% | 88.4% | 94.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 84.1% | 80.6% | 87.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.7% | 73.9% | 79.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 71.4% | 69.7% | 73.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 67.6% | 65.1% | 69.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 63.6% | 63.0% | 64.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Yemen
More agriculture & rural data for Yemen
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0001 hectares per US$ of GDP (2018)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.0348 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0011 hectares per US$ of GDP (2018)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.5614 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -14.18 % change on previous year (2018)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2875 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2018)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 182.21 current US$ per person (2018)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.57 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Yemen?
- Rural population in Yemen was 63.0% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Yemen?
- The highest recorded value was 96.6% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Yemen?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.0% in 2025.
- How does Yemen rank for rural population?
- Yemen ranks 39th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Yemen?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Yemen 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
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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.