Ireland vs Romania: Share of population living in rural areas
Ireland
45.2%
in 2020
Romania
45.3%
in 2020
Ireland rank
41st
Romania rank
40th
Share of population living in rural areas over time
- Ireland
- Romania
How they compare
Romania currently reports 45.3% against 45.2% in Ireland, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Romania ahead.
Ireland ranks 41st and Romania ranks 40th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 4 and Romania in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ireland | Romania | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 46.5% | 55.8% | 9.2% | Romania |
| 1960s | 48.4% | 52.9% | 4.5% | Romania |
| 1970s | 47.7% | 49.8% | 2.1% | Romania |
| 1980s | 46.7% | 46.4% | 0.3% | Ireland |
| 1990s | 46.7% | 44.1% | 2.6% | Ireland |
| 2000s | 46.4% | 44.6% | 1.8% | Ireland |
| 2010s | 45.8% | 45.3% | 0.5% | Ireland |
| 2020s | 45.2% | 45.3% | 0.1% | Romania |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in rural areas, Ireland or Romania?
- Romania, at 45.3% against 45.2% in Ireland as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between Ireland and Romania?
- 0.1%, with Romania ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and Romania?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Ireland and Romania rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
- Ireland ranks 41st and Romania ranks 40th 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.