Rural population in Europe & Central Asia
Europe & Central Asia: Rural population was 241.78 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
241.78 million
Change on year
up 0.0%
Rank
32nd
of 45 groups
All-time high
300.78 million
in 1960
All-time low
241.71 million
in 2024
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Rural population in Europe & Central Asia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Europe & Central Asia stood at 241.78 million.
The figure is down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Europe & Central Asia peaked at 300.78 million in 1960 and was at its lowest, 241.71 million, in 2024.
Europe & Central Asia ranks 32nd of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Europe & Central Asia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 300.78 million | — |
| 1961 | 300.44 million | -0.1% |
| 1962 | 300.41 million | -0.0% |
| 1963 | 300.00 million | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 299.16 million | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 298.10 million | -0.4% |
| 1966 | 296.61 million | -0.5% |
| 1967 | 295.20 million | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 293.82 million | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 292.36 million | -0.5% |
| 1970 | 290.86 million | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 289.66 million | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 288.27 million | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 286.74 million | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 285.14 million | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 283.89 million | -0.4% |
| 1976 | 282.72 million | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 281.89 million | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 281.17 million | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 280.42 million | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 279.47 million | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 278.79 million | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 278.06 million | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 277.45 million | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 277.02 million | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 276.77 million | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 276.41 million | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 276.07 million | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 275.80 million | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 275.76 million | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 275.96 million | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 276.14 million | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 276.74 million | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 277.08 million | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 276.87 million | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 276.49 million | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 275.66 million | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 274.47 million | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 273.44 million | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 272.77 million | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 271.24 million | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 269.80 million | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 268.65 million | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 267.70 million | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 267.12 million | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 266.47 million | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 265.50 million | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 264.48 million | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 263.81 million | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 263.19 million | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 262.10 million | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 260.62 million | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 258.64 million | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 254.87 million | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 250.85 million | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 247.88 million | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 246.76 million | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 246.71 million | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 246.31 million | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 245.58 million | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 244.81 million | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 243.83 million | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 242.81 million | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 241.90 million | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 241.71 million | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 241.78 million | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 297.69 million | 292.36 million | 300.78 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 285.08 million | 280.42 million | 290.86 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 277.16 million | 275.76 million | 279.47 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 275.56 million | 272.77 million | 277.08 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 266.80 million | 263.19 million | 271.24 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 252.03 million | 245.58 million | 262.10 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 242.81 million | 241.71 million | 244.81 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia
More agriculture & rural data for Europe & Central Asia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.88 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 643.81 billion current US$ (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.0% (2025)
- Rural population 25.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2593 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 690.4 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.029 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Europe & Central Asia?
- Rural population in Europe & Central Asia was 241.78 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 300.78 million in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 241.71 million in 2024.
- How does Europe & Central Asia rank for rural population?
- Europe & Central Asia ranks 32nd out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia 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.