Rural population — all countries

Rural population — OECD

Rural population in the OECD in 2025 — 261,997,519 people. Since 1960, the indicator has fallen by 15.7%.

2025 262M people −0.3% vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 311M people1961
Period minimum 262M people2025

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Rural population — OECD, 1960–2025260M280M300M320M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 310,850,772 people1962: 310,869,751 people1964: 309,899,009 people1966: 307,900,364 people1968: 305,583,052 people1970: 303,853,490 people1972: 303,635,954 people1974: 302,991,516 people1976: 303,322,590 people1978: 304,022,020 people1980: 304,330,493 people1982: 304,507,018 people1984: 304,148,224 people1986: 303,311,065 people1988: 302,104,692 people1990: 301,433,833 people1992: 301,227,688 people1994: 299,815,281 people1996: 297,711,264 people1998: 295,307,762 people2000: 293,306,543 people2002: 289,103,375 people2004: 283,046,048 people2006: 278,915,807 people2008: 276,380,572 people2010: 274,609,368 people2012: 272,518,049 people2014: 265,810,833 people2016: 262,857,553 people2018: 263,919,091 people2020: 263,753,948 people2022: 262,626,870 people2024: 262,794,550 people2025: 261,997,519 people
Change over the period: −48.85M (−15.72%) Average annual rate: -0.26 %

Comparison, 2025

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

OECD 262M people
World 3.46B people
Rural population — OECD, by year OECD All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 262M −797,031 −0.3%
2024 263M −142,396 −0.05%
2023 263M +310,076 +0.12%
2022 263M +10,190 +0%
2021 263M −1.14M −0.43%
2020 264M −198,539 −0.08%
2019 264M +33,396 +0.01%
2018 264M +394,757 +0.15%
2017 264M +666,781 +0.25%
2016 263M −502,260 −0.19%
2015 263M −2.45M −0.92%
2014 266M −3.46M −1.28%
2013 269M −3.25M −1.19%
2012 273M −1.38M −0.5%
2011 274M −708,896 −0.26%
2010 275M −837,054 −0.3%
2009 275M −934,150 −0.34%
2008 276M −1.05M −0.38%
2007 277M −1.49M −0.53%
2006 279M −1.66M −0.59%
2005 281M −2.47M −0.87%
2004 283M −3.02M −1.05%
2003 286M −3.04M −1.05%
2002 289M −2.58M −0.89%
2001 292M −1.62M −0.55%
2000 293M −1.14M −0.39%
1999 294M −861,187 −0.29%
1998 295M −1.06M −0.36%
1997 296M −1.35M −0.45%
1996 298M −1.18M −0.39%
1995 299M −925,943 −0.31%
1994 300M −853,912 −0.28%
1993 301M −558,495 −0.19%
1992 301M −206,870 −0.07%
1991 301M +725 +0%
1990 301M −202,961 −0.07%
1989 302M −467,898 −0.15%
1988 302M −622,460 −0.21%
1987 303M −583,913 −0.19%
1986 303M −465,956 −0.15%
1985 304M −371,203 −0.12%
1984 304M −286,920 −0.09%
1983 304M −71,874 −0.02%
1982 305M +23,096 +0.01%
1981 304M +153,429 +0.05%
1980 304M −65,934 −0.02%
1979 304M +374,407 +0.12%
1978 304M +452,046 +0.15%
1977 304M +247,384 +0.08%
1976 303M +143,795 +0.05%
1975 303M +187,279 +0.06%
1974 303M −273,120 −0.09%
1973 303M −371,318 −0.12%
1972 304M −251,314 −0.08%
1971 304M +33,778 +0.01%
1970 304M −707,628 −0.23%
1969 305M −1.02M −0.33%
1968 306M −1.16M −0.38%
1967 307M −1.15M −0.37%
1966 308M −1.09M −0.35%
1965 309M −909,105 −0.29%
1964 310M −632,263 −0.2%
1963 311M −338,479 −0.11%
1962 311M −79,555 −0.03%
1961 311M +98,534 +0.03%
1960 311M

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.