Denmark vs Norway: Share of population living in rural areas
Denmark
35.2%
in 2020
Norway
35.5%
in 2020
Denmark rank
74th
Norway rank
73rd
Share of population living in rural areas over time
- Denmark
- Norway
How they compare
Norway currently reports 35.5% against 35.2% in Denmark, a difference of 0.3%.
Across all 15 years both countries report, Norway has been ahead every year.
Denmark ranks 74th and Norway ranks 73rd of 236 countries.
Norway has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Denmark | Norway | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 41.2% | 49.1% | 7.9% | Norway |
| 1960s | 39.8% | 47.1% | 7.3% | Norway |
| 1970s | 38.5% | 45.4% | 7.0% | Norway |
| 1980s | 39.0% | 44.8% | 5.8% | Norway |
| 1990s | 38.9% | 43.2% | 4.3% | Norway |
| 2000s | 37.9% | 40.0% | 2.0% | Norway |
| 2010s | 36.4% | 37.0% | 0.6% | Norway |
| 2020s | 35.2% | 35.5% | 0.3% | Norway |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in rural areas, Denmark or Norway?
- Norway, at 35.5% against 35.2% in Denmark as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between Denmark and Norway?
- 0.3%, with Norway ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Norway?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Denmark and Norway rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
- Denmark ranks 74th and Norway ranks 73rd 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.