Rural population in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income): Rural population was 80.22 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) stood at 80.22 million.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) peaked at 95.74 million in 1996 and was at its lowest, 79.19 million, in 2023.
That places Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 41st out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 81.26 million | — |
| 1961 | 82.11 million | +1.1% |
| 1962 | 83.17 million | +1.3% |
| 1963 | 84.16 million | +1.2% |
| 1964 | 85.07 million | +1.1% |
| 1965 | 85.83 million | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 86.54 million | +0.8% |
| 1967 | 87.14 million | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 87.60 million | +0.5% |
| 1969 | 88.06 million | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 88.42 million | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 88.78 million | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 89.08 million | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 89.35 million | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 89.65 million | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 89.86 million | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 90.12 million | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 90.49 million | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 90.75 million | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 91.10 million | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 91.47 million | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 91.76 million | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 92.08 million | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 92.42 million | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 92.77 million | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 93.16 million | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 93.56 million | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 93.91 million | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 94.20 million | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 94.64 million | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 95.11 million | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 95.36 million | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 95.64 million | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 95.74 million | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 95.72 million | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 95.69 million | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 95.74 million | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 95.58 million | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 95.32 million | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 94.88 million | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 94.53 million | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 94.27 million | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 93.94 million | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 93.52 million | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 93.09 million | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 92.65 million | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 92.19 million | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 91.53 million | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 91.15 million | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 90.79 million | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 90.37 million | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 89.73 million | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 88.25 million | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 85.28 million | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 81.95 million | -3.9% |
| 2015 | 79.68 million | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 79.44 million | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 79.91 million | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 80.21 million | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 80.16 million | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 80.23 million | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 80.22 million | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 79.76 million | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 79.19 million | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 79.45 million | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 80.22 million | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 85.09 million | 81.26 million | 88.06 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 89.76 million | 88.42 million | 91.10 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 93.00 million | 91.47 million | 94.64 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 95.48 million | 94.88 million | 95.74 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 92.76 million | 90.79 million | 94.53 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.50 million | 79.44 million | 90.37 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 79.84 million | 79.19 million | 80.23 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
More agriculture & rural data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.9714 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3167 units per person (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.6% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 175.15 billion current US$ (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.0% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 6.2% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 691.54 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population 31.7% (2025)
All data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- Rural population in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) was 80.22 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 95.74 million in 1996.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 79.19 million in 2023.
- How does Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) rank for rural population?
- Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 41st out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 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
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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. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.