Share of population living in rural areas in Mozambique

Mozambique: Share of population living in rural areas was 50 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
50
World rank
30th
of 236 countries
All-time high
64.02
in 1950
All-time low
49.08
in 2015
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in rural areas in Mozambique, 1950–2020

02040601950198520201950: 641955: 641960: 63.81965: 62.81970: 61.61975: 59.41980: 56.61985: 551990: 53.61995: 512000: 50.42005: 50.12010: 49.82015: 49.12020: 50

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2020, share of population living in rural areas in Mozambique stood at 50.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in rural areas in Mozambique peaked at 64.02 in 1950 and was at its lowest, 49.08, in 2015.

That places Mozambique 30th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.

Share of population living in rural areas in Mozambique, year by year

Annual values for Share of population living in rural areas in Mozambique, 1950 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1950 64.02 —
1955 64.02 -0.0%
1960 63.81 -0.3%
1965 62.84 -1.5%
1970 61.55 -2.0%
1975 59.43 -3.5%
1980 56.59 -4.8%
1985 55.04 -2.7%
1990 53.56 -2.7%
1995 51.01 -4.8%
2000 50.42 -1.2%
2005 50.14 -0.6%
2010 49.83 -0.6%
2015 49.08 -1.5%
2020 50 +1.9%

Mozambique compared with similar countries

  • Mozambique's 50 is above the median for low income countries, which is 35.61, 1.4× the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Mozambique's 50 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 30.61, 1.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 64.02 64.02 64.02 2
1960s 63.33 62.84 63.81 2
1970s 60.49 59.43 61.55 2
1980s 55.81 55.04 56.59 2
1990s 52.28 51.01 53.56 2
2000s 50.28 50.14 50.42 2
2010s 49.46 49.08 49.83 2
2020s 50 50 50 1

Countries ranked near Mozambique

  1. 27 East Timor 50.63 compare
  2. 28 Burkina Faso 50.61 compare
  3. 29 Niger 50.6 compare
  4. 31 Slovenia 49.69 compare
  5. 32 Bosnia and Herzegovina 48.81 compare
  6. 33 Chad 48.53 compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for Mozambique

All data for Mozambique →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in rural areas in Mozambique?
Share of population living in rural areas in Mozambique was 50 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Mozambique?
The highest recorded value was 64.02 in 1950.
What is the lowest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Mozambique?
The lowest recorded value was 49.08 in 2015.
How does Mozambique rank for share of population living in rural areas?
Mozambique ranks 30th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Mozambique?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Mozambique data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population living in rural areas in Mozambique. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 12 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-population-living-in-rural-areas/mozambique/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in rural areas
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed