New Zealand vs Switzerland: Share of population living in rural areas
New Zealand
23.7%
in 2020
Switzerland
24.0%
in 2020
New Zealand rank
136th
Switzerland rank
133rd
Share of population living in rural areas over time
- New Zealand
- Switzerland
How they compare
Switzerland currently reports 24.0% against 23.7% in New Zealand, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Switzerland ahead.
New Zealand ranks 136th and Switzerland ranks 133rd of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, New Zealand averaged higher in 1 and Switzerland in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | New Zealand | Switzerland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 36.1% | 39.2% | 3.0% | Switzerland |
| 1960s | 33.0% | 35.8% | 2.8% | Switzerland |
| 1970s | 30.9% | 33.1% | 2.3% | Switzerland |
| 1980s | 29.7% | 32.8% | 3.1% | Switzerland |
| 1990s | 28.4% | 30.4% | 2.0% | Switzerland |
| 2000s | 26.6% | 28.2% | 1.6% | Switzerland |
| 2010s | 25.8% | 25.4% | 0.4% | New Zealand |
| 2020s | 23.7% | 24.0% | 0.3% | Switzerland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in rural areas, New Zealand or Switzerland?
- Switzerland, at 24.0% against 23.7% in New Zealand as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between New Zealand and Switzerland?
- 0.3%, with Switzerland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and Switzerland?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do New Zealand and Switzerland rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
- New Zealand ranks 136th and Switzerland ranks 133rd 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.