Rural population in Brunei
Brunei: Rural population was 116,531 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Rural population in Brunei, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Brunei stood at 116,531. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Brunei peaked at 116,531 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 49,428, in 1968.
Brunei ranks 170th of 218 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Brunei, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 50,051 | — |
| 1961 | 50,649 | +1.2% |
| 1962 | 50,853 | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 50,818 | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 50,643 | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 50,320 | -0.6% |
| 1966 | 49,931 | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 49,593 | -0.7% |
| 1968 | 49,428 | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 49,585 | +0.3% |
| 1970 | 49,680 | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 50,167 | +1.0% |
| 1972 | 51,844 | +3.3% |
| 1973 | 54,174 | +4.5% |
| 1974 | 56,815 | +4.9% |
| 1975 | 59,723 | +5.1% |
| 1976 | 62,832 | +5.2% |
| 1977 | 66,074 | +5.2% |
| 1978 | 69,286 | +4.9% |
| 1979 | 72,369 | +4.4% |
| 1980 | 75,301 | +4.1% |
| 1981 | 77,971 | +3.5% |
| 1982 | 80,498 | +3.2% |
| 1983 | 82,800 | +2.9% |
| 1984 | 84,552 | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 85,831 | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 86,726 | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 87,153 | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 87,227 | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 87,264 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 87,439 | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 87,962 | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 88,718 | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 89,435 | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 90,134 | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 90,814 | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 91,475 | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 92,117 | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 92,740 | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 93,344 | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 93,930 | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 94,477 | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 94,880 | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 95,056 | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 95,048 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 94,923 | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 94,758 | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 94,816 | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 95,231 | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 95,964 | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 97,100 | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 98,601 | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 100,288 | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 102,078 | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 103,949 | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 105,771 | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 107,397 | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 108,852 | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 110,253 | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 111,589 | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 112,859 | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 113,984 | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 114,857 | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 115,564 | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 116,151 | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 116,531 | +0.3% |
Brunei compared with similar countries
- Brunei's 116,531 is below the median for high income countries, which is 456,529, 26% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Brunei's 116,531 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 377,513, 31% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 50,187 | 49,428 | 50,853 | 10 |
| 1970s | 59,296 | 49,680 | 72,369 | 10 |
| 1980s | 83,532 | 75,301 | 87,264 | 10 |
| 1990s | 90,418 | 87,439 | 93,344 | 10 |
| 2000s | 94,908 | 93,930 | 95,964 | 10 |
| 2010s | 104,588 | 97,100 | 111,589 | 10 |
| 2020s | 114,991 | 112,859 | 116,531 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Brunei
- 167 Uruguay 147,108 compare
- 168 Saint Lucia 127,732 compare
- 169 Cape Verde 117,962 compare
- 171 Barbados 113,898 compare
- 172 Channel Islands 113,473 compare
- 173 French Polynesia 108,019 compare
More agriculture & rural data for Brunei
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -1.44 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0118 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 380.81 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.3272 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2499 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Brunei?
- Rural population in Brunei was 116,531 in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Brunei?
- The highest recorded value was 116,531 in 2025.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Brunei?
- The lowest recorded value was 49,428 in 1968.
- How does Brunei rank for rural population?
- Brunei ranks 170th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Brunei?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Brunei 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.