Share of population living in rural areas in Netherlands
Netherlands: Share of population living in rural areas was 15.7% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of population living in rural areas in Netherlands, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Netherlands recorded 15.7% for share of population living in rural areas in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is down 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in rural areas in Netherlands peaked at 23.3% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 15.7%, in 2020.
Netherlands ranks 177th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in rural areas in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 23.3% | — |
| 1955 | 22.3% | -4.5% |
| 1960 | 21.2% | -4.9% |
| 1965 | 20.1% | -5.0% |
| 1970 | 19.2% | -4.4% |
| 1975 | 18.6% | -3.5% |
| 1980 | 18.4% | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 18.2% | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 18.1% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 17.2% | -5.0% |
| 2000 | 16.5% | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 16.3% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 16.3% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 16.2% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 15.7% | -2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 22.8% | 22.3% | 23.3% | 2 |
| 1960s | 20.7% | 20.1% | 21.2% | 2 |
| 1970s | 18.9% | 18.6% | 19.2% | 2 |
| 1980s | 18.3% | 18.2% | 18.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 17.6% | 17.2% | 18.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 16.4% | 16.3% | 16.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 16.2% | 16.2% | 16.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 15.7% | 15.7% | 15.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
- 174 Sao Tome and Principe 16.6% compare
- 175 China 16.4% compare
- 176 Saudi Arabia 16.4% compare
- 178 Afghanistan 15.6% compare
- 179 Guam 15.5% compare
- 180 Burundi 15.4% compare
More population data for Netherlands
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.1961 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.5458 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.1961 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1463 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2761 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.2% (2100)
- Population density 519.97 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 757,165 people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.2% (2100)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate 0.9625 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in rural areas in Netherlands?
- Share of population living in rural areas in Netherlands was 15.7% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 23.3% in 1950.
- What is the lowest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.7% in 2020.
- How does Netherlands rank for share of population living in rural areas?
- Netherlands ranks 177th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Netherlands data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.