Rural population in India
India: Rural population was 941.42 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
941.42 million
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
1st
of 218 countries
All-time high
941.42 million
in 2025
All-time low
357.84 million
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Rural population in India, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in India stood at 941.42 million. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in India peaked at 941.42 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 357.84 million, in 1960.
India ranks 1st of 218 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 357.84 million | — |
| 1961 | 366.08 million | +2.3% |
| 1962 | 374.32 million | +2.3% |
| 1963 | 382.55 million | +2.2% |
| 1964 | 390.85 million | +2.2% |
| 1965 | 398.88 million | +2.1% |
| 1966 | 406.54 million | +1.9% |
| 1967 | 414.30 million | +1.9% |
| 1968 | 422.14 million | +1.9% |
| 1969 | 429.92 million | +1.8% |
| 1970 | 438.24 million | +1.9% |
| 1971 | 446.62 million | +1.9% |
| 1972 | 454.81 million | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 463.04 million | +1.8% |
| 1974 | 471.40 million | +1.8% |
| 1975 | 480.02 million | +1.8% |
| 1976 | 488.68 million | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 497.52 million | +1.8% |
| 1978 | 506.35 million | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 515.65 million | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 525.77 million | +2.0% |
| 1981 | 536.30 million | +2.0% |
| 1982 | 547.22 million | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 558.53 million | +2.1% |
| 1984 | 570.23 million | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 582.15 million | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 594.28 million | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 606.52 million | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 618.83 million | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 631.26 million | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 643.73 million | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 656.05 million | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 668.36 million | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 680.74 million | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 692.97 million | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 705.19 million | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 717.47 million | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 729.67 million | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 741.76 million | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 753.67 million | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 765.44 million | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 777.13 million | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 788.34 million | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 798.89 million | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 809.14 million | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 818.73 million | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 827.69 million | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 836.08 million | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 843.81 million | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 851.51 million | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 859.19 million | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 866.78 million | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 874.74 million | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 882.33 million | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 889.35 million | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 895.79 million | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 902.26 million | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 908.49 million | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 914.17 million | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 919.34 million | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 923.92 million | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 927.12 million | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 930.01 million | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 933.77 million | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 937.61 million | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 941.42 million | +0.4% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 941.42 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.28 million, 178.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 941.42 million is above the median for South Asia, which is 13.54 million, 69.5× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 394.34 million | 357.84 million | 429.92 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 476.23 million | 438.24 million | 515.65 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 577.11 million | 525.77 million | 631.26 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 698.96 million | 643.73 million | 753.67 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 811.68 million | 765.44 million | 851.51 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 891.24 million | 859.19 million | 919.34 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 932.31 million | 923.92 million | 941.42 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More agriculture & rural data for India
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -2.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1623 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 438.73 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4067 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6431 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in India?
- Rural population in India was 941.42 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 941.42 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 357.84 million in 1960.
- How does India rank for rural population?
- India ranks 1st out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India 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.