Rural population in Small states
Small states: Rural population was 9.75 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Rural population in Small states, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Small states is 9.75 million, measured in 2025. 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 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Small states peaked at 9.75 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 5.81 million, in 1960.
That places Small states 44th out of 47 groups 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 Small states, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.81 million | — |
| 1961 | 5.86 million | +0.9% |
| 1962 | 5.92 million | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 5.98 million | +1.0% |
| 1964 | 6.03 million | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 6.08 million | +0.8% |
| 1966 | 6.13 million | +0.8% |
| 1967 | 6.17 million | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 6.22 million | +0.7% |
| 1969 | 6.26 million | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 6.32 million | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 6.37 million | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 6.42 million | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 6.45 million | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 6.47 million | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 6.49 million | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 6.52 million | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 6.57 million | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 6.62 million | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 6.67 million | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 6.74 million | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 6.81 million | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 6.87 million | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 6.94 million | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 7.00 million | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 7.07 million | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 7.15 million | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 7.22 million | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 7.29 million | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 7.37 million | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 7.46 million | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 7.55 million | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 7.61 million | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 7.65 million | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 7.71 million | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 7.76 million | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 7.84 million | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 7.93 million | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 8.01 million | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 8.00 million | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 8.00 million | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 8.12 million | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 8.23 million | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 8.32 million | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 8.39 million | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 8.43 million | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 8.50 million | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 8.58 million | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 8.65 million | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 8.72 million | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 8.79 million | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 8.87 million | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 8.94 million | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 9.02 million | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 9.09 million | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 9.16 million | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 9.23 million | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 9.29 million | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 9.37 million | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 9.44 million | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 9.50 million | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 9.56 million | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 9.62 million | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 9.67 million | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 9.71 million | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 9.75 million | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.05 million | 5.81 million | 6.26 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.49 million | 6.32 million | 6.67 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.05 million | 6.74 million | 7.37 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.75 million | 7.46 million | 8.01 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.39 million | 8.00 million | 8.72 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.12 million | 8.79 million | 9.44 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.63 million | 9.50 million | 9.75 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Small states
More agriculture & rural data for Small states
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 12.45 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.7% (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Rural population 47.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.2% (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.479 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 611.84 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Small states?
- Rural population in Small states was 9.75 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Small states?
- The highest recorded value was 9.75 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Small states?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.81 million in 1960.
- How does Small states rank for rural population?
- Small states ranks 44th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Small states?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Small states 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.