Rural population in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Rural population was 483.55 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
483.55 million
Change on year
up 1.8%
Rank
24th
of 47 groups
All-time high
483.55 million
in 2025
All-time low
111.03 million
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Rural population in Africa Eastern and Southern, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Africa Eastern and Southern stood at 483.55 million. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.8% on the previous year and up 21.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 483.55 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 111.03 million, in 1960.
Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 24th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 111.03 million | — |
| 1961 | 113.68 million | +2.4% |
| 1962 | 116.45 million | +2.4% |
| 1963 | 119.31 million | +2.5% |
| 1964 | 122.29 million | +2.5% |
| 1965 | 125.38 million | +2.5% |
| 1966 | 128.53 million | +2.5% |
| 1967 | 131.79 million | +2.5% |
| 1968 | 135.19 million | +2.6% |
| 1969 | 138.65 million | +2.6% |
| 1970 | 142.16 million | +2.5% |
| 1971 | 145.73 million | +2.5% |
| 1972 | 149.27 million | +2.4% |
| 1973 | 152.99 million | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 156.90 million | +2.6% |
| 1975 | 160.83 million | +2.5% |
| 1976 | 164.88 million | +2.5% |
| 1977 | 168.89 million | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 173.29 million | +2.6% |
| 1979 | 178.06 million | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 182.69 million | +2.6% |
| 1981 | 187.66 million | +2.7% |
| 1982 | 192.99 million | +2.8% |
| 1983 | 198.19 million | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 203.20 million | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 208.18 million | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 213.10 million | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 218.09 million | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 222.95 million | +2.2% |
| 1989 | 227.75 million | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 232.87 million | +2.2% |
| 1991 | 238.08 million | +2.2% |
| 1992 | 243.42 million | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 249.19 million | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 254.61 million | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 260.15 million | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 266.26 million | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 272.26 million | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 278.25 million | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 284.40 million | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 290.53 million | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 296.64 million | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 302.81 million | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 309.01 million | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 315.25 million | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 321.67 million | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 328.23 million | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 335.35 million | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 342.17 million | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 349.64 million | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 357.48 million | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 365.31 million | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 373.33 million | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 381.55 million | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 389.58 million | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 397.72 million | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 405.93 million | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 414.23 million | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 422.87 million | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 431.95 million | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 441.05 million | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 449.90 million | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 458.41 million | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 467.01 million | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 475.10 million | +1.7% |
| 2025 | 483.55 million | +1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 124.23 million | 111.03 million | 138.65 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 159.30 million | 142.16 million | 178.06 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 205.48 million | 182.69 million | 227.75 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 257.95 million | 232.87 million | 284.40 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 319.13 million | 290.53 million | 349.64 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 394.00 million | 357.48 million | 431.95 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 462.50 million | 441.05 million | 483.55 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Africa Eastern and Southern
- 21 Mexico 26.34 million compare
- 22 Yemen 26.30 million compare
- 23 Brazil 25.16 million compare
- 24 South Africa 23.43 million compare
- 25 Niger 22.79 million compare
- 26 Mozambique 22.37 million compare
- 27 Madagascar 21.97 million compare
More agriculture & rural data for Africa Eastern and Southern
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1542 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population 61.3% (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.8% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.18 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 15.4% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 209.47 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.613 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Rural population in Africa Eastern and Southern was 483.55 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 483.55 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 111.03 million in 1960.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for rural population?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 24th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Eastern and Southern data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural 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. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.