Belgium vs Spain: Share of population living in rural areas
Belgium
21.6%
in 2020
Spain
21.4%
in 2020
Belgium rank
147th
Spain rank
149th
Share of population living in rural areas over time
- Belgium
- Spain
How they compare
Belgium currently reports 21.6% against 21.4% in Spain, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Spain ahead.
Belgium ranks 147th and Spain ranks 149th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Belgium averaged higher in 1 and Spain in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Belgium | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 28.2% | 32.7% | 4.5% | Spain |
| 1960s | 27.0% | 30.6% | 3.6% | Spain |
| 1970s | 26.1% | 28.3% | 2.1% | Spain |
| 1980s | 25.5% | 26.5% | 1.0% | Spain |
| 1990s | 24.6% | 25.6% | 0.9% | Spain |
| 2000s | 23.8% | 24.1% | 0.4% | Spain |
| 2010s | 22.5% | 22.5% | 0.1% | Spain |
| 2020s | 21.6% | 21.4% | 0.2% | Belgium |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in rural areas, Belgium or Spain?
- Belgium, at 21.6% against 21.4% in Spain as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between Belgium and Spain?
- 0.2%, with Belgium ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and Spain?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Belgium and Spain rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
- Belgium ranks 147th and Spain ranks 149th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.