Rural population — all countries

Rural population — NATO

Rural population in NATO in 2025 — 205,029,003 people. Since 1960, the indicator has fallen by 14.6%.

2025 205M people −0.22% vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 240M people1960
Period minimum 205M people2016

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Rural population — NATO, 1960–2025200M210M220M230M240M250M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 240,201,263 people1962: 239,864,415 people1964: 238,269,683 people1966: 235,911,197 people1968: 234,144,561 people1970: 233,127,612 people1972: 233,259,479 people1974: 233,168,920 people1976: 233,596,548 people1978: 234,056,496 people1980: 234,135,249 people1982: 234,195,453 people1984: 233,976,967 people1986: 233,933,073 people1988: 233,834,727 people1990: 234,071,927 people1992: 233,761,483 people1994: 232,545,269 people1996: 230,494,501 people1998: 227,980,425 people2000: 226,051,376 people2002: 223,716,062 people2004: 222,319,991 people2006: 220,772,340 people2008: 219,429,850 people2010: 217,991,773 people2012: 215,181,338 people2014: 207,868,121 people2016: 204,593,738 people2018: 205,404,613 people2020: 205,429,565 people2022: 204,920,897 people2024: 205,489,958 people2025: 205,029,003 people
Change over the period: −35.17M (−14.64%) Average annual rate: -0.24 %

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: NATO

NATO 205M people
World 3.46B people
Rural population — NATO, by year NATO All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 205M −460,955 −0.22%
2024 205M +94,469 +0.05%
2023 205M +474,592 +0.23%
2022 205M +264,321 +0.13%
2021 205M −772,989 −0.38%
2020 205M −38,497 −0.02%
2019 205M +63,449 +0.03%
2018 205M +279,388 +0.14%
2017 205M +531,487 +0.26%
2016 205M −635,104 −0.31%
2015 205M −2.64M −1.27%
2014 208M −3.73M −1.76%
2013 212M −3.59M −1.67%
2012 215M −1.73M −0.8%
2011 217M −1.08M −0.5%
2010 218M −841,508 −0.38%
2009 219M −596,569 −0.27%
2008 219M −544,287 −0.25%
2007 220M −798,203 −0.36%
2006 221M −753,858 −0.34%
2005 222M −793,793 −0.36%
2004 222M −658,204 −0.3%
2003 223M −737,867 −0.33%
2002 224M −1.03M −0.46%
2001 225M −1.31M −0.58%
2000 226M −1.07M −0.47%
1999 227M −855,432 −0.38%
1998 228M −1.11M −0.48%
1997 229M −1.41M −0.61%
1996 230M −1.18M −0.51%
1995 232M −867,027 −0.37%
1994 233M −741,194 −0.32%
1993 233M −475,020 −0.2%
1992 234M −271,047 −0.12%
1991 234M −39,397 −0.02%
1990 234M +180,572 +0.08%
1989 234M +56,628 +0.02%
1988 234M −35,156 −0.02%
1987 234M −63,190 −0.03%
1986 234M −45,612 −0.02%
1985 234M +1,718 +0%
1984 234M −171,930 −0.07%
1983 234M −46,556 −0.02%
1982 234M −10,699 −0%
1981 234M +70,903 +0.03%
1980 234M −169,601 −0.07%
1979 234M +248,354 +0.11%
1978 234M +324,048 +0.14%
1977 234M +135,900 +0.06%
1976 234M +75,270 +0.03%
1975 234M +352,358 +0.15%
1974 233M −79,622 −0.03%
1973 233M −10,937 −0%
1972 233M +94,999 +0.04%
1971 233M +36,868 +0.02%
1970 233M −364,391 −0.16%
1969 233M −652,558 −0.28%
1968 234M −804,761 −0.34%
1967 235M −961,875 −0.41%
1966 236M −1.14M −0.48%
1965 237M −1.22M −0.51%
1964 238M −1M −0.42%
1963 239M −594,578 −0.25%
1962 240M −302,589 −0.13%
1961 240M −34,259 −0.01%
1960 240M

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.