Iran, Islamic Republic of vs Sri Lanka: Share of population living in rural areas

Iran, Islamic Republic of
15.3%
in 2020
Sri Lanka
15.3%
in 2020
Iran, Islamic Republic of rank
182nd
Sri Lanka rank
181st

Share of population living in rural areas over time

  • Iran, Islamic Republic of
  • Sri Lanka
010203040195019852020

How they compare

Sri Lanka currently reports 15.3% against 15.3% in Iran, Islamic Republic of, a difference of 0.0%.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Iran, Islamic Republic of ahead.

Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 182nd and Sri Lanka ranks 181st of 236 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, Iran, Islamic Republic of averaged higher in 1 and Sri Lanka in 7.

Head to head by decade

Decade Iran, Islamic Republic of Sri Lanka Difference Ahead
1950s 39.8% 39.4% 0.4% Iran, Islamic Republic of
1960s 34.0% 34.4% 0.4% Sri Lanka
1970s 28.1% 29.5% 1.4% Sri Lanka
1980s 24.1% 25.2% 1.1% Sri Lanka
1990s 21.0% 22.2% 1.2% Sri Lanka
2000s 18.4% 18.9% 0.4% Sri Lanka
2010s 16.3% 17.1% 0.8% Sri Lanka
2020s 15.3% 15.3% 0.0% Sri Lanka

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of population living in rural areas, Iran, Islamic Republic of or Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka, at 15.3% against 15.3% in Iran, Islamic Republic of as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between Iran, Islamic Republic of and Sri Lanka?
0.0%, with Sri Lanka ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iran, Islamic Republic of and Sri Lanka?
15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
How do Iran, Islamic Republic of and Sri Lanka rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 182nd and Sri Lanka ranks 181st 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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Iran, Islamic Republic of vs Sri Lanka: 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 09 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/share-of-population-living-in-rural-areas/iran-islamic-rep/sri-lanka/

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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.