Share of population living in rural areas in Yemen
Yemen: Share of population living in rural areas was 14.3% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of population living in rural areas in Yemen, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Yemen recorded 14.3% for share of population living in rural areas in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 22.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in rural areas in Yemen peaked at 52.7% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 14.3%, in 2020.
Yemen ranks 186th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in rural areas in Yemen, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 52.7% | — |
| 1955 | 51.5% | -2.2% |
| 1960 | 49.9% | -3.2% |
| 1965 | 47.8% | -4.1% |
| 1970 | 45.3% | -5.3% |
| 1975 | 42.5% | -6.1% |
| 1980 | 38.0% | -10.6% |
| 1985 | 34.1% | -10.1% |
| 1990 | 30.2% | -11.6% |
| 1995 | 26.1% | -13.4% |
| 2000 | 23.3% | -10.8% |
| 2005 | 20.8% | -10.8% |
| 2010 | 18.5% | -10.9% |
| 2015 | 16.2% | -12.8% |
| 2020 | 14.3% | -11.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 52.1% | 51.5% | 52.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 48.8% | 47.8% | 49.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 43.9% | 42.5% | 45.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 36.1% | 34.1% | 38.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 28.2% | 26.1% | 30.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 22.1% | 20.8% | 23.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 17.3% | 16.2% | 18.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 14.3% | 14.3% | 14.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Yemen
- 183 Philippines 15.2% compare
- 184 Uzbekistan 14.6% compare
- 185 Dominican Republic 14.5% compare
- 187 Indonesia 14.1% compare
- 188 United Kingdom 14.0% compare
- 189 Argentina 14.0% compare
More population data for Yemen
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.2706 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 1.67 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.2706 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.0907 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 55,296 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.01 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.5817 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.3% (2100)
- Population density 208.41 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 6.88 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in rural areas in Yemen?
- Share of population living in rural areas in Yemen was 14.3% 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 Yemen?
- The highest recorded value was 52.7% in 1950.
- What is the lowest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Yemen?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.3% in 2020.
- How does Yemen rank for share of population living in rural areas?
- Yemen ranks 186th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Yemen?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Yemen 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.