China vs Gabon: Share of population living in rural areas
China
16.4%
in 2020
Gabon
16.9%
in 2020
China rank
175th
Gabon rank
172nd
Share of population living in rural areas over time
- China
- Gabon
How they compare
Gabon currently reports 16.9% against 16.4% in China, a difference of 0.5%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was China ahead.
China ranks 175th and Gabon ranks 172nd of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and Gabon in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Gabon | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 34.4% | 30.8% | 3.6% | China |
| 1960s | 30.9% | 31.4% | 0.6% | Gabon |
| 1970s | 26.6% | 30.1% | 3.5% | Gabon |
| 1980s | 23.8% | 25.8% | 1.9% | Gabon |
| 1990s | 20.4% | 23.8% | 3.4% | Gabon |
| 2000s | 18.1% | 21.7% | 3.6% | Gabon |
| 2010s | 16.8% | 19.9% | 3.1% | Gabon |
| 2020s | 16.4% | 16.9% | 0.6% | Gabon |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in rural areas, China or Gabon?
- Gabon, at 16.9% against 16.4% in China as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between China and Gabon?
- 0.5%, with Gabon ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Gabon?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do China and Gabon rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
- China ranks 175th and Gabon ranks 172nd 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.