Netherlands vs Saudi Arabia: Share of population living in rural areas
Netherlands
15.7%
in 2020
Saudi Arabia
16.4%
in 2020
Netherlands rank
177th
Saudi Arabia rank
176th
Share of population living in rural areas over time
- Netherlands
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 16.4% against 15.7% in Netherlands, a difference of 0.7%.
Across all 15 years both countries report, Saudi Arabia has been ahead every year.
Netherlands ranks 177th and Saudi Arabia ranks 176th of 236 countries.
Saudi Arabia has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Netherlands | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 22.8% | 48.6% | 25.8% | Saudi Arabia |
| 1960s | 20.7% | 44.6% | 24.0% | Saudi Arabia |
| 1970s | 18.9% | 39.3% | 20.4% | Saudi Arabia |
| 1980s | 18.3% | 32.5% | 14.2% | Saudi Arabia |
| 1990s | 17.6% | 24.8% | 7.2% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2000s | 16.4% | 19.8% | 3.4% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2010s | 16.2% | 16.9% | 0.7% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2020s | 15.7% | 16.4% | 0.7% | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in rural areas, Netherlands or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia, at 16.4% against 15.7% in Netherlands as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between Netherlands and Saudi Arabia?
- 0.7%, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Netherlands and Saudi Arabia?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Netherlands and Saudi Arabia rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
- Netherlands ranks 177th and Saudi Arabia ranks 176th 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.