Rural population in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries): Rural population was 731.42 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Rural population in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) stood at 731.42 million. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 18.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 731.42 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 195.05 million, in 1960.
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 18th of 49 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 214.10 million | 195.05 million | 234.59 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 264.48 million | 239.65 million | 291.93 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 332.09 million | 298.79 million | 365.27 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 410.08 million | 372.88 million | 449.33 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 501.55 million | 458.43 million | 547.28 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 610.81 million | 558.62 million | 663.65 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 703.69 million | 675.57 million | 731.42 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.96 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 17.9% (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Rural population 55.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2024)
- Land under cereal production 85.37 million hectares (2024)
- Cereal production 124.08 million metric tons (2024)
- Cereal yield 1,453 kg per hectare (2024)
- Fertilizer consumption 19.59 kilograms per hectare of arable land (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Rural population in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) was 731.42 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 731.42 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 195.05 million in 1960.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for rural population?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 18th out of 49 groups with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 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.