Canada vs Iceland: Share of population living in rural areas
Canada
23.8%
in 2020
Iceland
24.1%
in 2020
Canada rank
135th
Iceland rank
132nd
Share of population living in rural areas over time
- Canada
- Iceland
How they compare
Iceland currently reports 24.1% against 23.8% in Canada, a difference of 0.3%.
Across all 15 years both countries report, Iceland has been ahead every year.
Canada ranks 135th and Iceland ranks 132nd of 236 countries.
Iceland has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | Iceland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 39.7% | 53.5% | 13.8% | Iceland |
| 1960s | 35.2% | 47.6% | 12.4% | Iceland |
| 1970s | 32.4% | 43.3% | 10.9% | Iceland |
| 1980s | 30.6% | 38.3% | 7.7% | Iceland |
| 1990s | 28.2% | 36.4% | 8.2% | Iceland |
| 2000s | 26.4% | 31.0% | 4.6% | Iceland |
| 2010s | 24.7% | 26.0% | 1.3% | Iceland |
| 2020s | 23.8% | 24.1% | 0.4% | Iceland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in rural areas, Canada or Iceland?
- Iceland, at 24.1% against 23.8% in Canada as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between Canada and Iceland?
- 0.3%, with Iceland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and Iceland?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Canada and Iceland rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
- Canada ranks 135th and Iceland ranks 132nd 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.