China vs India: Share of population living in rural areas
China
16.4%
in 2020
India
16.6%
in 2020
China rank
175th
India rank
173rd
Share of population living in rural areas over time
- China
- India
How they compare
India currently reports 16.6% against 16.4% in China, a difference of 0.2%.
Across all 15 years both countries report, India has been ahead every year.
China ranks 175th and India ranks 173rd of 236 countries.
India has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 34.4% | 47.8% | 13.4% | India |
| 1960s | 30.9% | 42.0% | 11.1% | India |
| 1970s | 26.6% | 36.5% | 9.9% | India |
| 1980s | 23.8% | 31.5% | 7.7% | India |
| 1990s | 20.4% | 26.0% | 5.7% | India |
| 2000s | 18.1% | 21.6% | 3.5% | India |
| 2010s | 16.8% | 18.8% | 2.0% | India |
| 2020s | 16.4% | 16.6% | 0.3% | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in rural areas, China or India?
- India, at 16.6% against 16.4% in China as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between China and India?
- 0.2%, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do China and India rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
- China ranks 175th and India ranks 173rd 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.