Australia vs New Zealand: Rural population
Australia
13.2%
in 2024
New Zealand
12.9%
in 2024
Australia rank
172nd
New Zealand rank
173rd
Rural population over time
- Australia
- New Zealand
How they compare
Australia currently reports 13.2% against 12.9% in New Zealand, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 55 shared years of data; in 1970 it was New Zealand ahead.
Australia ranks 172nd and New Zealand ranks 173rd of 214 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 4 and New Zealand in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | New Zealand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 15.3% | 17.5% | 2.3% | New Zealand |
| 1980s | 14.4% | 16.2% | 1.8% | New Zealand |
| 1990s | 15.1% | 14.6% | 0.5% | Australia |
| 2000s | 15.5% | 13.8% | 1.7% | Australia |
| 2010s | 14.3% | 13.7% | 0.7% | Australia |
| 2020s | 13.5% | 13.1% | 0.4% | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rural population, Australia or New Zealand?
- Australia, at 13.2% against 12.9% in New Zealand as of 2024.
- What is the difference in rural population between Australia and New Zealand?
- 0.3%, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and New Zealand?
- 55 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2024.
- How do Australia and New Zealand rank globally for rural population?
- Australia ranks 172nd and New Zealand ranks 173rd of 214 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release