Estonia vs Norway: Share of population living in rural areas

Estonia
35.0%
in 2020
Norway
35.5%
in 2020
Estonia rank
76th
Norway rank
73rd

Share of population living in rural areas over time

  • Estonia
  • Norway
01020304050195019852020

How they compare

Norway currently reports 35.5% against 35.0% in Estonia, a difference of 0.5%.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Norway ahead.

Estonia ranks 76th 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 Estonia Norway Difference Ahead
1950s 33.3% 49.1% 15.9% Norway
1960s 31.1% 47.1% 16.0% Norway
1970s 29.1% 45.4% 16.4% Norway
1980s 28.6% 44.8% 16.2% Norway
1990s 31.8% 43.2% 11.4% Norway
2000s 35.3% 40.0% 4.7% Norway
2010s 36.5% 37.0% 0.4% Norway
2020s 35.0% 35.5% 0.5% Norway

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of population living in rural areas, Estonia or Norway?
Norway, at 35.5% against 35.0% in Estonia as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between Estonia and Norway?
0.5%, with Norway ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Estonia and Norway?
15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
How do Estonia and Norway rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
Estonia ranks 76th and Norway ranks 73rd of 236 countries.
Where does this data come from?
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – 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.

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Estonia vs Norway: Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid, drawing on European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/share-of-population-living-in-rural-areas/estonia/norway/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in rural areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

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.