Rural population in Niger
Niger: Rural population was 22.79 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
22.79 million
Change on year
up 2.9%
World rank
25th
of 218 countries
All-time high
22.79 million
in 2025
All-time low
3.30 million
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Rural population in Niger, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
Niger recorded 22.79 million for rural population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 36.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Niger peaked at 22.79 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 3.30 million, in 1960.
Niger ranks 25th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Rural population in Niger, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 3.30 million | — |
| 1961 | 3.40 million | +2.8% |
| 1962 | 3.49 million | +2.8% |
| 1963 | 3.59 million | +2.7% |
| 1964 | 3.68 million | +2.6% |
| 1965 | 3.78 million | +2.6% |
| 1966 | 3.87 million | +2.5% |
| 1967 | 3.96 million | +2.4% |
| 1968 | 4.05 million | +2.3% |
| 1969 | 4.14 million | +2.2% |
| 1970 | 4.23 million | +2.1% |
| 1971 | 4.31 million | +2.0% |
| 1972 | 4.40 million | +2.0% |
| 1973 | 4.49 million | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 4.58 million | +2.1% |
| 1975 | 4.68 million | +2.1% |
| 1976 | 4.79 million | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 4.90 million | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 5.02 million | +2.5% |
| 1979 | 5.16 million | +2.6% |
| 1980 | 5.30 million | +2.7% |
| 1981 | 5.44 million | +2.7% |
| 1982 | 5.59 million | +2.7% |
| 1983 | 5.74 million | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 5.90 million | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 6.06 million | +2.8% |
| 1986 | 6.24 million | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 6.42 million | +2.9% |
| 1988 | 6.60 million | +2.9% |
| 1989 | 6.80 million | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 7.01 million | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 7.22 million | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 7.44 million | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 7.68 million | +3.1% |
| 1994 | 7.92 million | +3.2% |
| 1995 | 8.18 million | +3.3% |
| 1996 | 8.46 million | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 8.73 million | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 9.03 million | +3.3% |
| 1999 | 9.33 million | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 9.65 million | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 9.98 million | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 10.34 million | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 10.72 million | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 11.11 million | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 11.52 million | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 11.95 million | +3.7% |
| 2007 | 12.40 million | +3.8% |
| 2008 | 12.86 million | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 13.35 million | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 13.86 million | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 14.39 million | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 14.94 million | +3.9% |
| 2013 | 15.52 million | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 16.09 million | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 16.69 million | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 17.30 million | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 17.90 million | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 18.49 million | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 19.09 million | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 19.68 million | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 20.28 million | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 20.89 million | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 21.52 million | +3.0% |
| 2024 | 22.15 million | +3.0% |
| 2025 | 22.79 million | +2.9% |
Niger compared with similar countries
- Niger's 22.79 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 15.21 million, 1.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Niger's 22.79 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.41 million, 2.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.73 million | 3.30 million | 4.14 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.66 million | 4.23 million | 5.16 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.01 million | 5.30 million | 6.80 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.10 million | 7.01 million | 9.33 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.39 million | 9.65 million | 13.35 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.43 million | 13.86 million | 19.09 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.22 million | 19.68 million | 22.79 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Niger
- 22 Yemen 26.30 million compare
- 23 Brazil 25.16 million compare
- 24 South Africa 23.43 million compare
- 26 Mozambique 22.37 million compare
- 27 Madagascar 21.97 million compare
- 28 Iran 20.91 million compare
More agriculture & rural data for Niger
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8.84 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.4759 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 368.98 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.87 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0011 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.8163 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 47.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 47.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Niger?
- Rural population in Niger was 22.79 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Niger?
- The highest recorded value was 22.79 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Niger?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.30 million in 1960.
- How does Niger rank for rural population?
- Niger ranks 25th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Niger?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Niger 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.