Rural population in North Macedonia
North Macedonia: Rural population was 675,721 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in North Macedonia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in North Macedonia is 675,721, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 13.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in North Macedonia peaked at 947,031 in 1960 and was at its lowest, 675,721, in 2025.
That places North Macedonia 145th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in North Macedonia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 947,031 | — |
| 1961 | 942,846 | -0.4% |
| 1962 | 934,571 | -0.9% |
| 1963 | 924,484 | -1.1% |
| 1964 | 916,056 | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 906,786 | -1.0% |
| 1966 | 897,758 | -1.0% |
| 1967 | 889,495 | -0.9% |
| 1968 | 882,615 | -0.8% |
| 1969 | 877,590 | -0.6% |
| 1970 | 874,846 | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 874,338 | -0.1% |
| 1972 | 874,935 | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 876,246 | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 878,279 | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 881,133 | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 884,573 | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 888,024 | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 891,362 | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 894,747 | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 897,996 | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 900,905 | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 901,324 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 899,215 | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 896,895 | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 894,579 | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 892,093 | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 889,483 | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 886,602 | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 882,884 | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 877,614 | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 864,998 | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 842,342 | -2.6% |
| 1993 | 815,517 | -3.2% |
| 1994 | 801,931 | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 804,854 | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 811,895 | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 807,427 | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 816,222 | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 828,121 | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 841,101 | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 852,731 | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 851,039 | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 852,575 | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 849,766 | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 845,018 | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 840,001 | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 834,595 | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 828,828 | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 822,140 | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 815,096 | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 809,039 | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 802,952 | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 796,414 | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 789,969 | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 782,757 | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 774,300 | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 764,328 | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 752,635 | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 738,709 | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 720,931 | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 703,905 | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 696,910 | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 689,967 | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 682,957 | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 675,721 | -1.1% |
North Macedonia compared with similar countries
- North Macedonia's 675,721 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.53 million, 44% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- North Macedonia's 675,721 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.49 million, 45% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 911,923 | 877,590 | 947,031 | 10 |
| 1970s | 881,848 | 874,338 | 894,747 | 10 |
| 1980s | 894,198 | 882,884 | 901,324 | 10 |
| 1990s | 827,092 | 801,931 | 877,614 | 10 |
| 2000s | 841,779 | 822,140 | 852,731 | 10 |
| 2010s | 782,620 | 738,709 | 815,096 | 10 |
| 2020s | 695,065 | 675,721 | 720,931 | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Macedonia
More agriculture & rural data for North Macedonia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.72 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0598 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 626.97 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.06 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3711 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.5% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in North Macedonia?
- Rural population in North Macedonia was 675,721 in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in North Macedonia?
- The highest recorded value was 947,031 in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in North Macedonia?
- The lowest recorded value was 675,721 in 2025.
- How does North Macedonia rank for rural population?
- North Macedonia ranks 145th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in North Macedonia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North Macedonia 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.