Which has higher rural population, United Kingdom or United States?

United States, at 16.5% against 15.1% in United Kingdom as of 2024.

What is the difference in rural population between United Kingdom and United States?

1.4%, with United States ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for United Kingdom and United States?

55 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2024.

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.

United Kingdom vs United States: Rural population (% of total population) (UNESCO Institute)

United Kingdom

15.1%

in 2024

United States

16.5%

in 2024

United Kingdom rank

168th

United States rank

165th

Rural population (% of total population) (UNESCO Institute) over time

United Kingdom
United States

How they compare

United States currently reports 16.5% against 15.1% in United Kingdom, a difference of 1.4%.

That makes United States's figure about 1.1 times United Kingdom's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 55 shared years of data; in 1970 it was United States ahead.

United Kingdom ranks 168th and United States ranks 165th of 214 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, United Kingdom averaged higher in 1 and United States in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade	United Kingdom	United States	Difference	Ahead
1970s	22.4%	26.4%	4.0%	United States
1980s	21.6%	25.6%	4.0%	United States
1990s	21.7%	23.0%	1.3%	United States
2000s	20.2%	20.2%	0.1%	United Kingdom
2010s	17.5%	18.4%	0.9%	United States
2020s	15.6%	16.9%	1.3%	United States

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher rural population, United Kingdom or United States?: United States, at 16.5% against 15.1% in United Kingdom as of 2024.
What is the difference in rural population between United Kingdom and United States?: 1.4%, with United States ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for United Kingdom and United States?: 55 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2024.
How do United Kingdom and United States rank globally for rural population?: United Kingdom ranks 168th and United States ranks 165th 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.

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United Kingdom vs United States: Rural population. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 12 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/rural-population-percent-of-total-population-2/united-kingdom/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator: Rural population (% of total population)
Unit: % of total population
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage: 214 places, 11,770 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed: 08 November 2026

February 2026 Data Release