Rural population in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of

Korea, Democratic People's Republic of: Rural population was 36.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
36.5%
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
105th
of 214 countries
All-time high
45.8%
in 1970
All-time low
36.5%
in 2024
Years of data
55
1970–2024

Rural population in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, 1970–2024

01020304050197019972024

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of total population.

Analysis

In 2024, rural population in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of stood at 36.5%. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 6.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rural population in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of peaked at 45.8% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 36.5%, in 2024.

Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 105th of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.

Rural population in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, year by year

Annual values for Rural population (% of total population) in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, 1970 to 2024.
Year % of total population Change
1970 45.8%
1971 45.3% -1.1%
1972 44.8% -1.1%
1973 44.3% -1.1%
1974 43.8% -1.1%
1975 43.3% -1.1%
1976 43.3% -0.1%
1977 43.2% -0.1%
1978 43.2% -0.1%
1979 43.1% -0.1%
1980 43.1% -0.1%
1981 43.0% -0.3%
1982 42.8% -0.3%
1983 42.7% -0.3%
1984 42.5% -0.3%
1985 42.4% -0.4%
1986 42.2% -0.3%
1987 42.1% -0.4%
1988 41.9% -0.4%
1989 41.8% -0.4%
1990 41.6% -0.4%
1991 41.5% -0.4%
1992 41.3% -0.4%
1993 41.2% -0.4%
1994 41.1% -0.3%
1995 41.0% -0.2%
1996 40.9% -0.2%
1997 40.8% -0.2%
1998 40.7% -0.2%
1999 40.7% -0.2%
2000 40.6% -0.2%
2001 40.5% -0.2%
2002 40.4% -0.2%
2003 40.4% -0.2%
2004 40.3% -0.2%
2005 40.2% -0.2%
2006 40.1% -0.2%
2007 40.0% -0.2%
2008 40.0% -0.2%
2009 39.8% -0.4%
2010 39.6% -0.5%
2011 39.4% -0.5%
2012 39.3% -0.5%
2013 39.1% -0.5%
2014 38.9% -0.5%
2015 38.7% -0.5%
2016 38.5% -0.5%
2017 38.3% -0.5%
2018 38.1% -0.6%
2019 37.9% -0.6%
2020 37.6% -0.7%
2021 37.4% -0.7%
2022 37.1% -0.7%
2023 36.8% -0.8%
2024 36.5% -0.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 44.0% 43.1% 45.8% 10
1980s 42.4% 41.8% 43.1% 10
1990s 41.1% 40.7% 41.6% 10
2000s 40.2% 39.8% 40.6% 10
2010s 38.8% 37.9% 39.6% 10
2020s 37.1% 36.5% 37.6% 5

Countries ranked near Korea, Democratic People's Republic of

  1. 102 Georgia 38.8% compare
  2. 103 French Polynesia 37.6% compare
  3. 104 Paraguay 36.5% compare
  4. 106 Armenia 36.1% compare
  5. 107 Ireland 35.2% compare
  6. 108 Ecuador 35.0% compare

See the full ranking of 214 places →

More population data for Korea, Democratic People's Republic of

All data for Korea, Democratic People's Republic of →

Frequently asked questions

What is rural population in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
Rural population in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of was 36.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest rural population recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
The highest recorded value was 45.8% in 1970.
What is the lowest rural population recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
The lowest recorded value was 36.5% in 2024.
How does Korea, Democratic People's Republic of rank for rural population?
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 105th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
Is rural population rising or falling in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Korea, Democratic People's Republic of data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Rural population in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/rural-population-percent-of-total-population-2/korea-dem-people-s-rep/

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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