Rural population in Mexico
Mexico: Rural population was 18.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Mexico, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2024, rural population in Mexico stood at 18.1%. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and down 13.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Mexico peaked at 41.0% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 18.1%, in 2024.
Mexico ranks 158th 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 37.6% | 34.4% | 41.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 31.3% | 29.0% | 33.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.9% | 25.6% | 28.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.9% | 22.5% | 25.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.9% | 19.6% | 22.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.7% | 18.1% | 19.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More population data for Mexico
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.583 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 5.55 million (2100)
- Population density 67 (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.583 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.7222 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.6019 Percent per annum (2030)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 143,772 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 0.602 % change on previous year (2030)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 1.89 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 150,836 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Mexico?
- Rural population in Mexico was 18.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 41.0% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.1% in 2024.
- How does Mexico rank for rural population?
- Mexico ranks 158th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mexico 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release