Rural population — all countries

Rural population — Low-income countries

Rural population in low-income countries in 2025 — 507,689,274 people. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 318.2%.

2025 508M people +2.01% vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 508M people2025
Period minimum 121M people1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Rural population — Low-income countries, 1960–20250200M400M600M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 121,408,204 people1962: 126,163,058 people1964: 131,312,304 people1966: 136,766,535 people1968: 142,580,579 people1970: 148,857,655 people1972: 155,269,362 people1974: 162,213,536 people1976: 169,595,889 people1978: 177,423,110 people1980: 185,056,216 people1982: 191,896,095 people1984: 200,740,242 people1986: 209,500,374 people1988: 218,420,407 people1990: 227,932,035 people1992: 238,598,343 people1994: 251,405,174 people1996: 264,432,920 people1998: 277,757,810 people2000: 291,215,288 people2002: 305,744,665 people2004: 321,866,733 people2006: 338,828,936 people2008: 355,971,105 people2010: 373,321,061 people2012: 388,750,125 people2014: 403,144,110 people2016: 420,402,238 people2018: 438,875,111 people2020: 458,798,666 people2022: 477,686,934 people2024: 497,674,950 people2025: 507,689,274 people
Change over the period: +386M (+318.17%) Average annual rate: 2.23 %

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Low-income countries

Low-income countries 508M people
World 3.46B people
Rural population — Low-income countries, by year Low-income countries All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 508M +10.01M +2.01%
2024 498M +9.89M +2.03%
2023 488M +10.1M +2.11%
2022 478M +9.22M +1.97%
2021 468M +9.67M +2.11%
2020 459M +10.01M +2.23%
2019 449M +9.91M +2.26%
2018 439M +9.38M +2.18%
2017 429M +9.1M +2.16%
2016 420M +8.81M +2.14%
2015 412M +8.45M +2.1%
2014 403M +7.7M +1.95%
2013 395M +6.69M +1.72%
2012 389M +7.25M +1.9%
2011 382M +8.18M +2.19%
2010 373M +8.64M +2.37%
2009 365M +8.71M +2.45%
2008 356M +8.25M +2.37%
2007 348M +8.89M +2.62%
2006 339M +8.69M +2.63%
2005 330M +8.27M +2.57%
2004 322M +7.98M +2.54%
2003 314M +8.15M +2.66%
2002 306M +7.75M +2.6%
2001 298M +6.78M +2.33%
2000 291M +6.6M +2.32%
1999 285M +6.85M +2.47%
1998 278M +6.65M +2.45%
1997 271M +6.68M +2.53%
1996 264M +6.84M +2.65%
1995 258M +6.19M +2.46%
1994 251M +6.11M +2.49%
1993 245M +6.7M +2.81%
1992 239M +6M +2.58%
1991 233M +4.67M +2.05%
1990 228M +4.74M +2.13%
1989 223M +4.77M +2.18%
1988 218M +4.56M +2.13%
1987 214M +4.36M +2.08%
1986 210M +4.37M +2.13%
1985 205M +4.39M +2.19%
1984 201M +4.42M +2.25%
1983 196M +4.43M +2.31%
1982 192M +3.86M +2.05%
1981 188M +2.98M +1.61%
1980 185M +3.35M +1.84%
1979 182M +4.28M +2.41%
1978 177M +4.12M +2.38%
1977 173M +3.71M +2.19%
1976 170M +3.75M +2.26%
1975 166M +3.63M +2.24%
1974 162M +3.57M +2.25%
1973 159M +3.37M +2.17%
1972 155M +3.2M +2.11%
1971 152M +3.21M +2.16%
1970 149M +3.2M +2.2%
1969 146M +3.08M +2.16%
1968 143M +2.97M +2.13%
1967 140M +2.84M +2.08%
1966 137M +2.74M +2.05%
1965 134M +2.71M +2.07%
1964 131M +2.63M +2.04%
1963 129M +2.52M +2%
1962 126M +2.43M +1.97%
1961 124M +2.32M +1.91%
1960 121M

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.