Rural population — all countries

Rural population — South Asia

Rural population in South Asia in 2025 — 1,086,549,811 people. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 155.6%.

2025 1.09B people +0.37% vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 1.09B people2025
Period minimum 425M people1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Rural population — South Asia, 1960–2025400M600M800M1B1.2B19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 425,050,831 people1962: 444,924,886 people1964: 465,090,773 people1966: 484,570,746 people1968: 504,155,198 people1970: 524,105,455 people1972: 543,447,961 people1974: 563,957,382 people1976: 584,217,293 people1978: 604,298,764 people1980: 626,296,249 people1982: 651,414,225 people1984: 678,251,683 people1986: 706,156,519 people1988: 734,424,416 people1990: 762,882,676 people1992: 791,116,430 people1994: 819,430,782 people1996: 847,615,563 people1998: 875,553,022 people2000: 902,635,866 people2002: 927,790,917 people2004: 949,239,425 people2006: 967,384,448 people2008: 982,699,862 people2010: 997,551,898 people2012: 1,013,669,413 people2014: 1,028,633,569 people2016: 1,042,652,525 people2018: 1,055,625,236 people2020: 1,066,665,249 people2022: 1,074,275,601 people2024: 1,082,536,026 people2025: 1,086,549,811 people
Change over the period: +661M (+155.63%) Average annual rate: 1.45 %

Comparison, 2025

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

South Asia 1.09B people
World 3.46B people
Rural population — South Asia, by year South Asia All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 1.09B +4.01M +0.37%
2024 1.08B +4.14M +0.38%
2023 1.08B +4.12M +0.38%
2022 1.07B +3.63M +0.34%
2021 1.07B +3.98M +0.37%
2020 1.07B +5.26M +0.5%
2019 1.06B +5.78M +0.55%
2018 1.06B +6.19M +0.59%
2017 1.05B +6.78M +0.65%
2016 1.04B +7.05M +0.68%
2015 1.04B +6.97M +0.68%
2014 1.03B +7.51M +0.74%
2013 1.02B +7.46M +0.74%
2012 1.01B +8.38M +0.83%
2011 1.01B +7.74M +0.78%
2010 998M +7.5M +0.76%
2009 990M +7.35M +0.75%
2008 983M +7.32M +0.75%
2007 975M +7.99M +0.83%
2006 967M +8.66M +0.9%
2005 959M +9.48M +1%
2004 949M +10.41M +1.11%
2003 939M +11.04M +1.19%
2002 928M +12.13M +1.32%
2001 916M +13.03M +1.44%
2000 903M +13.4M +1.51%
1999 889M +13.68M +1.56%
1998 876M +13.91M +1.61%
1997 862M +14.03M +1.66%
1996 848M +14.12M +1.69%
1995 833M +14.07M +1.72%
1994 819M +14.06M +1.75%
1993 805M +14.25M +1.8%
1992 791M +14.17M +1.82%
1991 777M +14.06M +1.84%
1990 763M +14.22M +1.9%
1989 749M +14.23M +1.94%
1988 734M +14.13M +1.96%
1987 720M +14.14M +2%
1986 706M +14.07M +2.03%
1985 692M +13.84M +2.04%
1984 678M +13.59M +2.04%
1983 665M +13.25M +2.03%
1982 651M +12.87M +2.02%
1981 639M +12.25M +1.96%
1980 626M +11.47M +1.87%
1979 615M +10.53M +1.74%
1978 604M +10.01M +1.68%
1977 594M +10.08M +1.72%
1976 584M +10.02M +1.74%
1975 574M +10.24M +1.82%
1974 564M +10.28M +1.86%
1973 554M +10.23M +1.88%
1972 543M +9.61M +1.8%
1971 534M +9.73M +1.86%
1970 524M +10.19M +1.98%
1969 514M +9.76M +1.94%
1968 504M +9.86M +1.99%
1967 494M +9.73M +2.01%
1966 485M +9.57M +2.01%
1965 475M +9.91M +2.13%
1964 465M +10.14M +2.23%
1963 455M +10.02M +2.25%
1962 445M +9.98M +2.29%
1961 435M +9.9M +2.33%
1960 425M

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.