Share of population living in rural areas in Russian Federation

Russian Federation: Share of population living in rural areas was 21.2% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
21.2%
World rank
152nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
28.7%
in 1950
All-time low
21.2%
in 2020
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in rural areas in Russian Federation, 1950–2020

01020301950198520201950: 28.7 %1955: 27 %1960: 25.3 %1965: 24.1 %1970: 23.5 %1975: 23 %1980: 22.3 %1985: 22 %1990: 21.8 %1995: 21.7 %2000: 21.5 %2005: 21.5 %2010: 21.5 %2015: 21.4 %2020: 21.2 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2020, share of population living in rural areas in Russian Federation stood at 21.2%. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in rural areas in Russian Federation peaked at 28.7% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 21.2%, in 2020.

Russian Federation ranks 152nd 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 Russian Federation, year by year

Annual values for Share of population living in rural areas in Russian Federation, 1950 to 2020.
Year % Change
1950 28.7%
1955 27.0% -5.9%
1960 25.3% -6.3%
1965 24.1% -4.8%
1970 23.5% -2.4%
1975 23.0% -2.0%
1980 22.3% -3.3%
1985 22.0% -1.5%
1990 21.8% -0.6%
1995 21.7% -0.5%
2000 21.5% -1.1%
2005 21.5% -0.2%
2010 21.5% +0.3%
2015 21.4% -0.6%
2020 21.2% -1.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 27.8% 27.0% 28.7% 2
1960s 24.7% 24.1% 25.3% 2
1970s 23.3% 23.0% 23.5% 2
1980s 22.1% 22.0% 22.3% 2
1990s 21.8% 21.7% 21.8% 2
2000s 21.5% 21.5% 21.5% 2
2010s 21.5% 21.4% 21.5% 2
2020s 21.2% 21.2% 21.2% 1

Countries ranked near Russian Federation

  1. 149 Spain 21.4% compare
  2. 150 American Samoa 21.3% compare
  3. 151 Seychelles 21.3% compare
  4. 153 Azerbaijan 21.1% compare
  5. 154 Syrian Arab Republic 21.0% compare
  6. 155 Brazil 20.8% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for Russian Federation

All data for Russian Federation →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in rural areas in Russian Federation?
Share of population living in rural areas in Russian Federation was 21.2% 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 Russian Federation?
The highest recorded value was 28.7% in 1950.
What is the lowest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Russian Federation?
The lowest recorded value was 21.2% in 2020.
How does Russian Federation rank for share of population living in rural areas?
Russian Federation ranks 152nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Russian Federation?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Russian Federation 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.

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Share of population living in rural areas in Russian Federation. Statizoid, drawing on European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-population-living-in-rural-areas/russian-federation/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in rural areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

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.