India vs Somalia: Share of population living in rural areas
India
16.6%
in 2020
Somalia
17.3%
in 2020
India rank
173rd
Somalia rank
170th
Share of population living in rural areas over time
- India
- Somalia
How they compare
Somalia currently reports 17.3% against 16.6% in India, a difference of 0.7%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Somalia ahead.
India ranks 173rd and Somalia ranks 170th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, India averaged higher in 2 and Somalia in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | India | Somalia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 47.8% | 48.5% | 0.7% | Somalia |
| 1960s | 42.0% | 43.0% | 1.0% | Somalia |
| 1970s | 36.5% | 37.5% | 1.0% | Somalia |
| 1980s | 31.5% | 32.3% | 0.8% | Somalia |
| 1990s | 26.0% | 26.1% | 0.1% | Somalia |
| 2000s | 21.6% | 20.7% | 0.9% | India |
| 2010s | 18.8% | 18.0% | 0.8% | India |
| 2020s | 16.6% | 17.3% | 0.7% | Somalia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in rural areas, India or Somalia?
- Somalia, at 17.3% against 16.6% in India as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between India and Somalia?
- 0.7%, with Somalia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and Somalia?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do India and Somalia rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
- India ranks 173rd and Somalia ranks 170th 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.