Rural population in Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: Rural population was 7,581 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Rural population in Marshall Islands, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Marshall Islands is 7,581, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 5.1% on the previous year and down 36.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Marshall Islands peaked at 16,086 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 7,581, in 2025.
That places Marshall Islands 199th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Marshall Islands, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 9,581 | — |
| 1961 | 9,735 | +1.6% |
| 1962 | 9,866 | +1.3% |
| 1963 | 9,971 | +1.1% |
| 1964 | 10,043 | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 10,082 | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 10,075 | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 10,148 | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 10,342 | +1.9% |
| 1969 | 10,443 | +1.0% |
| 1970 | 10,297 | -1.4% |
| 1971 | 9,947 | -3.4% |
| 1972 | 9,615 | -3.3% |
| 1973 | 9,514 | -1.1% |
| 1974 | 9,749 | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 10,138 | +4.0% |
| 1976 | 10,572 | +4.3% |
| 1977 | 11,035 | +4.4% |
| 1978 | 11,506 | +4.3% |
| 1979 | 11,965 | +4.0% |
| 1980 | 12,417 | +3.8% |
| 1981 | 12,836 | +3.4% |
| 1982 | 13,158 | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 13,368 | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 13,499 | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 13,595 | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 13,694 | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 13,849 | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 14,109 | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 14,420 | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 14,693 | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 14,945 | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 15,167 | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 15,358 | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 15,524 | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 15,667 | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 15,791 | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 15,896 | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 15,978 | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 16,050 | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 16,086 | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 16,044 | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 15,922 | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 15,738 | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 15,508 | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 15,248 | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 14,970 | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 14,677 | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 14,377 | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 14,091 | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 13,838 | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 13,571 | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 13,230 | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 12,833 | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 12,410 | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 11,971 | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 11,521 | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 11,062 | -4.0% |
| 2018 | 10,602 | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 10,147 | -4.3% |
| 2020 | 9,700 | -4.4% |
| 2021 | 9,259 | -4.5% |
| 2022 | 8,823 | -4.7% |
| 2023 | 8,402 | -4.8% |
| 2024 | 7,985 | -5.0% |
| 2025 | 7,581 | -5.1% |
Marshall Islands compared with similar countries
- Marshall Islands's 7,581 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.53 million, 0% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Marshall Islands's 7,581 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 377,513, 2% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10,029 | 9,581 | 10,443 | 10 |
| 1970s | 10,434 | 9,514 | 11,965 | 10 |
| 1980s | 13,494 | 12,417 | 14,420 | 10 |
| 1990s | 15,507 | 14,693 | 16,050 | 10 |
| 2000s | 15,266 | 14,091 | 16,086 | 10 |
| 2010s | 12,118 | 10,147 | 13,838 | 10 |
| 2020s | 8,625 | 7,581 | 9,700 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Marshall Islands
More agriculture & rural data for Marshall Islands
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1994 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,513 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -5.06 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2089 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 19.9% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 19.9% (2024)
- Rural population 20.9% (2025)
- Rural population growth -5.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Marshall Islands?
- Rural population in Marshall Islands was 7,581 in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Marshall Islands?
- The highest recorded value was 16,086 in 2000.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Marshall Islands?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,581 in 2025.
- How does Marshall Islands rank for rural population?
- Marshall Islands ranks 199th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Marshall Islands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Marshall Islands 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.