Iraq vs Viet Nam: Share of population living in rural areas
Iraq
12.5%
in 2020
Viet Nam
13.1%
in 2020
Iraq rank
197th
Viet Nam rank
194th
Share of population living in rural areas over time
- Iraq
- Viet Nam
How they compare
Viet Nam currently reports 13.1% against 12.5% in Iraq, a difference of 0.6%.
That makes Viet Nam's figure about 1.1 times Iraq's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Viet Nam ahead.
Iraq ranks 197th and Viet Nam ranks 194th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Iraq averaged higher in 5 and Viet Nam in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iraq | Viet Nam | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 40.8% | 40.8% | 0.0% | Viet Nam |
| 1960s | 36.1% | 35.1% | 1.0% | Iraq |
| 1970s | 29.4% | 30.3% | 0.9% | Viet Nam |
| 1980s | 26.0% | 24.5% | 1.4% | Iraq |
| 1990s | 23.0% | 18.9% | 4.0% | Iraq |
| 2000s | 18.1% | 15.9% | 2.3% | Iraq |
| 2010s | 14.6% | 14.0% | 0.6% | Iraq |
| 2020s | 12.5% | 13.1% | 0.6% | Viet Nam |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in rural areas, Iraq or Viet Nam?
- Viet Nam, at 13.1% against 12.5% in Iraq as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between Iraq and Viet Nam?
- 0.6%, with Viet Nam ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iraq and Viet Nam?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Iraq and Viet Nam rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
- Iraq ranks 197th and Viet Nam ranks 194th 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.