Rural population (% of total population) by country

February 2026 Data Release

Countries reporting
214
Highest
86.1%
Papua New Guinea
Lowest
0.0%
Sint Maarten (Dutch part)
Median
35.1%
Years covered
55
1970–2024
Data points
11,770

What the numbers show

Rural population (% of total population) is currently reported for 214 countries. The highest value is 86.1% in Papua New Guinea; the lowest is 0.0% in Sint Maarten (Dutch part).

The median across all reporting countries is 35.1%, and the mean is 37.2%.

Over the past decade 10 countries rose and 194 fell. The largest increase was in Andorra (up 6.0%), and the largest decrease in Qatar (down 45.8%).

Rural population: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Papua New Guinea 86.1% 2024 down 1.0% flat
2 Liechtenstein 85.3% 2024 down 0.5% rising
3 Burundi 84.8% 2024 down 3.8% falling
4 Niger 82.8% 2024 down 1.2% falling
5 Samoa 82.6% 2024 up 2.1% flat
6 Rwanda 81.9% 2024 down 1.3% falling
7 Malawi 81.4% 2024 down 2.9% falling
8 Saint Lucia 80.7% 2024 down 1.0% rising
9 Sri Lanka 80.6% 2024 down 1.5% flat
10 South Sudan 78.4% 2024 down 3.6% falling
11 Nepal 77.6% 2024 down 5.1% falling
12 Tonga 76.8% 2024 up 0.2% flat
13 Micronesia (country) 76.4% 2024 down 1.5% rising
14 Ethiopia 76.3% 2024 down 5.8% falling
15 Antigua and Barbuda 75.7% 2024 up 1.1% rising
16 Chad 75.3% 2024 down 3.0% falling
17 Eswatini 75.0% 2024 down 2.4% falling
18 Cambodia 74.0% 2024 down 5.4% falling
19 Vanuatu 73.9% 2024 down 1.7% falling
20 Solomon Islands 73.5% 2024 down 5.9% falling
21 Afghanistan 72.7% 2024 down 3.6% falling
22 Guyana 72.7% 2024 down 1.2% rising
23 Uganda 72.6% 2024 down 7.5% falling
24 Tajikistan 71.5% 2024 down 2.5% rising
25 Kenya 70.0% 2024 down 6.5% falling
26 Comoros 69.6% 2024 down 2.9% falling
27 Lesotho 69.1% 2024 down 6.0% falling
28 Saint Kitts and Nevis 68.8% 2024 down 0.5% rising
29 Barbados 68.5% 2024 down 0.3% rising
30 Myanmar 67.5% 2024 down 4.0% falling
31 Zimbabwe 67.3% 2024 down 0.2% falling
32 Timor-Leste 67.2% 2024 down 5.2% falling
33 Burkina Faso 66.8% 2024 down 8.5% falling
34 Sudan 63.2% 2024 down 4.6% falling
35 India 63.1% 2024 down 6.6% falling
36 Grenada 62.7% 2024 down 2.1% falling
37 Tanzania 61.9% 2024 down 10.5% falling
38 Kyrgyzstan 61.8% 2024 down 3.9% flat
39 Pakistan 61.6% 2024 down 4.0% falling
40 Guinea 61.5% 2024 down 5.6% falling
41 Lao People’s Democratic Republic 61.1% 2024 down 9.5% falling
42 Mozambique 60.7% 2024 down 8.2% falling
43 Viet Nam 59.8% 2024 down 10.6% falling
44 Yemen 59.5% 2024 down 9.6% falling
45 Mauritius 59.1% 2024 up 0.3% flat
46 Bangladesh 58.8% 2024 down 11.6% falling
47 Madagascar 58.8% 2024 down 10.2% falling
48 Maldives 57.6% 2024 down 6.9% falling
49 Faroe Islands 56.8% 2024 down 2.9% falling
50 Egypt 56.7% 2024 down 0.7% flat
51 Moldova 56.4% 2024 down 1.9% falling
52 Eritrea 56.1% 2024 down 10.1% falling
53 Central African Republic 55.9% 2024 down 6.9% falling
54 Aruba 55.5% 2024 down 2.5% rising
55 Sierra Leone 55.2% 2024 down 7.3% falling
56 Bhutan 55.0% 2024 down 11.4% falling
57 Togo 54.9% 2024 down 9.1% falling
58 Guinea-Bissau 54.1% 2024 down 7.2% falling
59 Belize 53.2% 2024 down 2.7% rising
60 Zambia 53.1% 2024 down 9.4% falling
61 Mali 53.1% 2024 down 12.7% falling
62 Democratic Republic of the Congo 51.9% 2024 down 10.2% falling
63 Somalia 51.5% 2024 down 10.2% falling
64 Philippines 51.4% 2024 down 4.7% falling
65 Senegal 49.9% 2024 down 8.5% falling
66 British Virgin Islands 49.8% 2024 down 7.4% falling
67 Uzbekistan 49.4% 2024 up 0.5% falling
68 Benin 49.3% 2024 down 10.0% falling
69 Bosnia and Herzegovina 49.3% 2024 down 7.3% falling
70 Guatemala 46.5% 2024 down 7.8% falling
71 Trinidad and Tobago 46.4% 2024 down 0.3% falling
72 Côte d’Ivoire 46.4% 2024 down 9.1% falling
73 Isle of Man 46.3% 2024 down 3.2% flat
74 Liberia 45.9% 2024 down 9.2% falling
75 Slovak Republic 45.8% 2024 down 0.4% falling
76 Thailand 45.7% 2024 down 13.9% falling
77 Turkmenistan 45.5% 2024 down 9.2% falling
78 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 45.3% 2024 down 8.4% falling
79 Romania 45.1% 2024 down 2.1% falling
80 Nigeria 45.0% 2024 down 15.2% falling
81 Namibia 44.2% 2024 down 18.4% falling
82 Slovenia 43.6% 2024 down 6.2% falling
83 Serbia 42.6% 2024 down 4.0% falling
84 Jamaica 42.2% 2024 down 7.0% falling
85 Azerbaijan 42.0% 2024 down 7.8% falling
86 Syria 42.0% 2024 down 13.5% falling
87 Kazakhstan 41.6% 2024 down 3.0% falling
88 Kiribati 41.6% 2024 down 15.6% falling
89 Mauritania 41.5% 2024 down 16.6% falling
90 Croatia 41.1% 2024 down 6.9% falling
91 Fiji 40.8% 2024 down 10.9% falling
92 Indonesia 40.8% 2024 down 13.9% falling
93 Seychelles 40.8% 2024 down 9.5% falling
94 Austria 40.2% 2024 down 5.4% rising
95 Ghana 40.1% 2024 down 13.8% falling
96 North Macedonia 40.1% 2024 down 6.0% falling
97 Cameroon 40.1% 2024 down 12.9% falling
98 Nicaragua 39.8% 2024 down 5.8% falling
99 Poland 39.7% 2024 up 0.2% falling
100 Haiti 39.5% 2024 down 18.6% falling
101 Honduras 39.2% 2024 down 13.9% falling
102 Georgia 38.8% 2024 down 9.5% falling
103 French Polynesia 37.6% 2024 down 2.1% falling
104 Paraguay 36.5% 2024 down 7.6% falling
105 North Korea 36.5% 2024 down 6.2% falling
106 Armenia 36.1% 2024 down 2.2% flat
107 Ireland 35.2% 2024 down 6.4% falling
108 Ecuador 35.0% 2024 down 4.8% falling
109 Gambia 34.9% 2024 down 15.8% falling
110 Albania 34.6% 2024 down 20.6% falling
111 China (People’s Republic of) 34.5% 2024 down 24.7% falling
112 Morocco 34.4% 2024 down 13.6% falling
113 Suriname 33.5% 2024 down 1.3% falling
114 Tuvalu 33.1% 2024 down 19.8% falling
115 Cyprus 32.9% 2024 down 0.2% falling
116 Cabo Verde 31.6% 2024 down 12.7% falling
117 Portugal 31.6% 2024 down 14.8% falling
118 Latvia 31.2% 2024 down 2.7% falling
119 Montenegro 31.2% 2024 down 9.8% falling
120 Lithuania 31.1% 2024 down 5.6% falling
121 Mongolia 30.7% 2024 down 3.5% falling
122 Angola 30.7% 2024 down 17.6% falling
123 South Africa 30.7% 2024 down 14.0% falling
124 Congo 30.4% 2024 down 13.0% falling
125 Panama 30.1% 2024 down 10.5% falling
126 Estonia 30.0% 2024 down 5.5% flat
127 Ukraine 29.7% 2024 down 4.2% falling
128 Tunisia 29.1% 2024 down 9.6% falling
129 Bolivia 28.5% 2024 down 10.9% falling
130 Iraq 28.1% 2024 down 6.9% falling
131 Italy 27.7% 2024 down 9.8% falling
132 Dominica 27.7% 2024 down 9.9% falling
133 New Caledonia 26.9% 2024 down 13.4% falling
134 Hungary 26.8% 2024 down 9.9% falling
135 Botswana 26.5% 2024 down 21.2% falling
136 Switzerland 25.7% 2024 down 2.4% flat
137 Czechia 25.3% 2024 down 5.1% falling
138 Equatorial Guinea 25.1% 2024 down 16.0% falling
139 Russia 24.5% 2024 down 6.1% falling
140 Algeria 24.3% 2024 down 18.6% falling
141 El Salvador 24.0% 2024 down 22.9% falling
142 Sao Tome and Principe 23.0% 2024 down 25.3% falling
143 Bulgaria 23.0% 2024 down 12.9% falling
144 Cuba 22.3% 2024 down 3.4% falling
145 Iran 22.3% 2024 down 17.9% falling
146 Palestine 22.1% 2024 down 11.1% falling
147 Türkiye 22.1% 2024 down 17.9% falling
148 Germany 22.1% 2024 down 3.1% falling
149 Djibouti 21.3% 2024 down 6.3% falling
150 Peru 20.9% 2024 down 8.6% falling
151 Malaysia 20.8% 2024 down 21.3% falling
152 Marshall Islands 20.8% 2024 down 15.5% falling
153 Brunei 20.6% 2024 down 13.1% falling
154 Greece 19.0% 2024 down 14.7% falling
155 Belarus 18.9% 2024 down 19.0% falling
156 Korea 18.8% 2024 up 3.1% falling
157 Spain 18.2% 2024 down 11.8% falling
158 Mexico 18.1% 2024 down 13.7% falling
159 Libya 18.1% 2024 down 13.8% falling
160 Canada 18.0% 2024 down 4.1% falling
161 France 18.0% 2024 down 12.9% falling
162 Colombia 17.3% 2024 down 15.7% falling
163 Palau 17.2% 2024 down 23.7% falling
164 Costa Rica 16.8% 2024 down 30.0% falling
165 United States 16.5% 2024 down 11.0% falling
166 Bahamas 16.2% 2024 down 6.3% falling
167 Norway 15.7% 2024 down 18.8% falling
168 United Kingdom 15.1% 2024 down 14.3% falling
169 Dominican Republic 15.0% 2024 down 32.9% falling
170 Saudi Arabia 14.8% 2024 down 13.0% falling
171 Finland 14.1% 2024 down 4.7% falling
172 Australia 13.2% 2024 down 8.0% falling
173 New Zealand 12.9% 2024 down 5.9% falling
174 American Samoa 12.7% 2024 up 0.0% falling
175 Andorra 12.3% 2024 up 6.0% rising
176 United Arab Emirates 12.0% 2024 down 18.0% falling
177 Brazil 12.0% 2024 down 17.4% falling
178 Chile 11.9% 2024 down 6.4% falling
179 Greenland 11.9% 2024 down 16.5% falling
180 Venezuela 11.5% 2024 down 3.0% falling
181 Denmark 11.4% 2024 down 9.7% falling
182 Sweden 11.0% 2024 down 19.8% falling
183 Oman 11.0% 2024 down 44.6% falling
184 Curaçao 11.0% 2024 up 3.9% falling
185 Lebanon 10.4% 2024 down 13.7% falling
186 Bahrain 10.0% 2024 down 9.8% falling
187 Gabon 8.7% 2024 down 29.6% volatile
188 Japan 7.9% 2024 down 9.5% falling
189 Northern Mariana Islands 7.8% 2024 down 10.3% falling
190 Jordan 7.8% 2024 down 22.1% falling
191 Luxembourg 7.7% 2024 down 23.5% falling
192 Argentina 7.4% 2024 down 13.9% falling
193 Israel 7.1% 2024 down 10.7% falling
194 Netherlands 6.5% 2024 down 36.5% falling
195 Puerto Rico 6.3% 2024 down 0.2% volatile
196 Iceland 5.9% 2024 down 6.7% falling
197 Turks and Caicos Islands 5.6% 2024 down 31.7% volatile
198 Malta 5.0% 2024 down 11.7% falling
199 Guam 4.8% 2024 down 14.2% volatile
200 Uruguay 4.1% 2024 down 17.9% falling
201 United States Virgin Islands 3.7% 2024 down 23.0% volatile
202 San Marino 2.1% 2024 down 39.9% volatile
203 Belgium 1.8% 2024 down 18.0% falling
204 Qatar 0.6% 2024 down 45.8% volatile
205 Bermuda 0.0% 2024 flat
205 Cayman Islands 0.0% 2024 flat
205 Gibraltar 0.0% 2024 flat
205 Hong Kong (China) 0.0% 2024 volatile
205 Kuwait 0.0% 2024 volatile
205 Macau (China) 0.0% 2024 volatile
205 Monaco 0.0% 2024 flat
205 Nauru 0.0% 2024 flat
205 Singapore 0.0% 2024 flat
205 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 0.0% 2024 flat

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Rural population by country. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/rural-population-percent-of-total-population-2/

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About this data

Indicator
Rural population (% of total population)
Unit
% of total population
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
214 places, 11,770 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release