Rural population — all countries

Rural population — Europe & Central Asia

Rural population in Europe & Central Asia in 2025 — 241,781,918 people. Since 1960, the indicator has fallen by 19.6%.

2025 242M people +0.03% vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 301M people1960
Period minimum 242M people2024

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Rural population — Europe & Central Asia, 1960–2025240M260M280M300M320M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 300,778,861 people1962: 300,408,829 people1964: 299,163,750 people1966: 296,606,406 people1968: 293,816,724 people1970: 290,857,881 people1972: 288,272,184 people1974: 285,139,265 people1976: 282,717,702 people1978: 281,166,506 people1980: 279,466,989 people1982: 278,056,785 people1984: 277,021,319 people1986: 276,412,126 people1988: 275,796,756 people1990: 275,964,130 people1992: 276,740,449 people1994: 276,867,996 people1996: 275,658,953 people1998: 273,435,690 people2000: 271,240,194 people2002: 268,650,540 people2004: 267,121,567 people2006: 265,503,836 people2008: 263,814,720 people2010: 262,101,391 people2012: 258,640,012 people2014: 250,851,957 people2016: 246,761,337 people2018: 246,305,908 people2020: 244,810,716 people2022: 242,808,771 people2024: 241,712,034 people2025: 241,781,918 people
Change over the period: −59M (−19.61%) Average annual rate: -0.34 %

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Europe & Central Asia

Europe & Central Asia 242M people
World 3.46B people
Rural population — Europe & Central Asia, by year Europe & Central Asia All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 242M +69,884 +0.03%
2024 242M −183,811 −0.08%
2023 242M −912,926 −0.38%
2022 243M −1.02M −0.42%
2021 244M −983,725 −0.4%
2020 245M −766,863 −0.31%
2019 246M −728,329 −0.3%
2018 246M −399,012 −0.16%
2017 247M −56,417 −0.02%
2016 247M −1.11M −0.45%
2015 248M −2.98M −1.19%
2014 251M −4.01M −1.57%
2013 255M −3.77M −1.46%
2012 259M −1.98M −0.76%
2011 261M −1.48M −0.57%
2010 262M −1.09M −0.42%
2009 263M −620,178 −0.24%
2008 264M −667,746 −0.25%
2007 264M −1.02M −0.38%
2006 266M −968,311 −0.36%
2005 266M −649,420 −0.24%
2004 267M −580,146 −0.22%
2003 268M −948,827 −0.35%
2002 269M −1.15M −0.43%
2001 270M −1.44M −0.53%
2000 271M −1.53M −0.56%
1999 273M −664,940 −0.24%
1998 273M −1.04M −0.38%
1997 274M −1.18M −0.43%
1996 276M −835,369 −0.3%
1995 276M −373,674 −0.13%
1994 277M −213,969 −0.08%
1993 277M +341,516 +0.12%
1992 277M +596,074 +0.22%
1991 276M +180,245 +0.07%
1990 276M +198,983 +0.07%
1989 276M −31,609 −0.01%
1988 276M −276,459 −0.1%
1987 276M −338,911 −0.12%
1986 276M −362,365 −0.13%
1985 277M −246,828 −0.09%
1984 277M −427,041 −0.15%
1983 277M −608,425 −0.22%
1982 278M −734,556 −0.26%
1981 279M −675,648 −0.24%
1980 279M −955,242 −0.34%
1979 280M −744,275 −0.26%
1978 281M −720,314 −0.26%
1977 282M −830,882 −0.29%
1976 283M −1.18M −0.41%
1975 284M −1.25M −0.44%
1974 285M −1.6M −0.56%
1973 287M −1.53M −0.53%
1972 288M −1.39M −0.48%
1971 290M −1.2M −0.41%
1970 291M −1.5M −0.51%
1969 292M −1.46M −0.5%
1968 294M −1.39M −0.47%
1967 295M −1.4M −0.47%
1966 297M −1.49M −0.5%
1965 298M −1.06M −0.36%
1964 299M −837,804 −0.28%
1963 300M −407,275 −0.14%
1962 300M −26,148 −0.01%
1961 300M −343,884 −0.11%
1960 301M

About the indicator

The population living outside urban settlements. In the catalog this quantity was present only as a share, while the absolute number shows what the share does not: the world's rural population stopped growing only in the 2020s and still exceeds three billion people, even though the share has been falling for half a century. Each country defines a city itself, so cross-country comparisons of this series call for caution.

Important: It is computed as the difference between total and urban population, and the criterion for a city is national: in some places it is a settlement of two thousand residents, in others twenty thousand. Comparing the trend within a country is more reliable than comparing countries with each other.

Source: World Population Prospects (UN), license CC BY 3.0 IGO.