Iceland vs Switzerland: Share of population living in rural areas
Iceland
24.1%
in 2020
Switzerland
24.0%
in 2020
Iceland rank
132nd
Switzerland rank
133rd
Share of population living in rural areas over time
- Iceland
- Switzerland
How they compare
Iceland currently reports 24.1% against 24.0% in Switzerland, a difference of 0.1%.
Across all 15 years both countries report, Iceland has been ahead every year.
Iceland ranks 132nd and Switzerland ranks 133rd of 236 countries.
Iceland has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | Switzerland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 53.5% | 39.2% | 14.4% | Iceland |
| 1960s | 47.6% | 35.8% | 11.8% | Iceland |
| 1970s | 43.3% | 33.1% | 10.2% | Iceland |
| 1980s | 38.3% | 32.8% | 5.5% | Iceland |
| 1990s | 36.4% | 30.4% | 6.1% | Iceland |
| 2000s | 31.0% | 28.2% | 2.8% | Iceland |
| 2010s | 26.0% | 25.4% | 0.6% | Iceland |
| 2020s | 24.1% | 24.0% | 0.2% | Iceland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in rural areas, Iceland or Switzerland?
- Iceland, at 24.1% against 24.0% in Switzerland as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between Iceland and Switzerland?
- 0.1%, with Iceland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Switzerland?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Iceland and Switzerland rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
- Iceland ranks 132nd and Switzerland ranks 133rd 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.
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.