Rural population in Portugal
Portugal: Rural population was 31.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
31.6%
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
117th
of 214 countries
All-time high
61.2%
in 1970
All-time low
31.6%
in 2024
Years of data
55
1970–2024
Rural population in Portugal, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 31.6% for rural population in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and down 14.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Portugal peaked at 61.2% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 31.6%, in 2024.
Portugal ranks 117th 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 Portugal, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 61.2% | — |
| 1971 | 60.8% | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 60.4% | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 60.0% | -0.7% |
| 1974 | 59.6% | -0.7% |
| 1975 | 59.2% | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 58.8% | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 58.4% | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 58.0% | -0.7% |
| 1979 | 57.6% | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 57.2% | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 56.8% | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 56.3% | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 55.7% | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 55.2% | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 54.7% | -0.9% |
| 1986 | 54.2% | -1.0% |
| 1987 | 53.7% | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 53.1% | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 52.6% | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 52.1% | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 51.5% | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 50.9% | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 50.2% | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 49.6% | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 48.9% | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 48.2% | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 47.6% | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 46.9% | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 46.3% | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 45.6% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 45.0% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 44.3% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 43.7% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 43.1% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 42.5% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 41.9% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 41.3% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 40.6% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 40.0% | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 39.4% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 38.8% | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 38.2% | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 37.6% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 37.1% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 36.5% | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 35.9% | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 35.3% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 34.8% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 34.2% | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 33.7% | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 33.2% | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 32.6% | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 32.1% | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 31.6% | -1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 59.4% | 57.6% | 61.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 55.0% | 52.6% | 57.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 49.2% | 46.3% | 52.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.8% | 40.0% | 45.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.8% | 34.2% | 39.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.6% | 31.6% | 33.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More population data for Portugal
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.0538 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -4.39 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.0538 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.4941 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 9,261 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.2816 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.0558 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.0% (2100)
- Population density 95.56 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 396,215 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Portugal?
- Rural population in Portugal was 31.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 61.2% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.6% in 2024.
- How does Portugal rank for rural population?
- Portugal ranks 117th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Portugal 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