Rural population in Sweden
Sweden: Rural population was 11.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Sweden, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Sweden is 11.0%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and down 19.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Sweden peaked at 19.0% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 11.0%, in 2024.
That places Sweden 182nd out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Rural population in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 19.0% | — |
| 1971 | 18.4% | -2.8% |
| 1972 | 18.1% | -1.8% |
| 1973 | 17.8% | -1.8% |
| 1974 | 17.5% | -1.8% |
| 1975 | 17.3% | -1.2% |
| 1976 | 17.2% | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 17.1% | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 17.1% | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 17.0% | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 16.9% | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 16.9% | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 16.9% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 16.9% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 16.9% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 16.9% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 16.9% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 16.9% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 16.9% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 16.9% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 16.9% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 16.8% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 16.6% | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 16.5% | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 16.3% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 16.2% | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 16.1% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 16.1% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 16.0% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 16.0% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 16.0% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 15.9% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 15.9% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 15.8% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 15.7% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 15.7% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 15.6% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 15.4% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 15.3% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 15.1% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 14.9% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 14.7% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 14.4% | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 14.1% | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 13.8% | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 13.4% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 13.1% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 12.9% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 12.6% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 12.3% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 12.0% | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 11.8% | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 11.5% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 11.3% | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 11.0% | -2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 17.6% | 17.0% | 19.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.9% | 16.9% | 16.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.4% | 16.0% | 16.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.6% | 15.1% | 16.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.6% | 12.3% | 14.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.5% | 11.0% | 12.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More population data for Sweden
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.1458 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 11,902 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.4642 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.1484 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.051 (2100)
- Population density 27.91 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 479,660 (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.051 (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 0.4637 % change on previous year (2030)
- Fertility and wanted fertility, annual growth rate -1.38 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Sweden?
- Rural population in Sweden was 11.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 19.0% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.0% in 2024.
- How does Sweden rank for rural population?
- Sweden ranks 182nd out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sweden 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