Rural population — all countries

Rural population — Australia and New Zealand

Rural population in Australia and New Zealand in 2025 — 4,243,318 people. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 52.4%.

2025 4.24M people +0.52% vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 4.24M people2025
Period minimum 2.39M people1970

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Rural population — Australia and New Zealand, 1960–20252M2.5M3M3.5M4M4.5M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 2,783,873 people1962: 2,781,636 people1964: 2,801,163 people1966: 2,790,564 people1968: 2,595,175 people1970: 2,391,579 people1972: 2,409,443 people1974: 2,462,373 people1976: 2,497,901 people1978: 2,546,175 people1980: 2,606,216 people1982: 2,700,535 people1984: 2,793,557 people1986: 2,869,747 people1988: 2,934,322 people1990: 2,998,989 people1992: 3,080,402 people1994: 3,144,112 people1996: 3,232,095 people1998: 3,311,580 people2000: 3,385,350 people2002: 3,429,318 people2004: 3,462,769 people2006: 3,502,950 people2008: 3,569,509 people2010: 3,651,134 people2012: 3,708,426 people2014: 3,771,617 people2016: 3,862,459 people2018: 3,982,425 people2020: 4,085,828 people2022: 4,115,900 people2024: 4,221,237 people2025: 4,243,318 people
Change over the period: +1.46M (+52.42%) Average annual rate: 0.65 %

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Australia and New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand 4.24M people
World 3.46B people
Rural population — Australia and New Zealand, by year Australia and New Zealand All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 4.24M +22,081 +0.52%
2024 4.22M +47,475 +1.14%
2023 4.17M +57,862 +1.41%
2022 4.12M +15,062 +0.37%
2021 4.1M +15,010 +0.37%
2020 4.09M +63,861 +1.59%
2019 4.02M +39,542 +0.99%
2018 3.98M +54,902 +1.4%
2017 3.93M +65,064 +1.68%
2016 3.86M +52,883 +1.39%
2015 3.81M +37,959 +1.01%
2014 3.77M +31,582 +0.84%
2013 3.74M +31,609 +0.85%
2012 3.71M +32,345 +0.88%
2011 3.68M +24,947 +0.68%
2010 3.65M +35,010 +0.97%
2009 3.62M +46,615 +1.31%
2008 3.57M +37,836 +1.07%
2007 3.53M +28,723 +0.82%
2006 3.5M +19,693 +0.57%
2005 3.48M +20,488 +0.59%
2004 3.46M +15,928 +0.46%
2003 3.45M +17,523 +0.51%
2002 3.43M +13,864 +0.41%
2001 3.42M +30,104 +0.89%
2000 3.39M +36,810 +1.1%
1999 3.35M +36,960 +1.12%
1998 3.31M +37,324 +1.14%
1997 3.27M +42,161 +1.3%
1996 3.23M +46,431 +1.46%
1995 3.19M +41,552 +1.32%
1994 3.14M +34,702 +1.12%
1993 3.11M +29,008 +0.94%
1992 3.08M +30,931 +1.01%
1991 3.05M +50,482 +1.68%
1990 3M +31,728 +1.07%
1989 2.97M +32,939 +1.12%
1988 2.93M +30,825 +1.06%
1987 2.9M +33,750 +1.18%
1986 2.87M +34,255 +1.21%
1985 2.84M +41,935 +1.5%
1984 2.79M +43,471 +1.58%
1983 2.75M +49,551 +1.83%
1982 2.7M +51,845 +1.96%
1981 2.65M +42,474 +1.63%
1980 2.61M +33,735 +1.31%
1979 2.57M +26,306 +1.03%
1978 2.55M +26,488 +1.05%
1977 2.52M +21,786 +0.87%
1976 2.5M +15,844 +0.64%
1975 2.48M +19,684 +0.8%
1974 2.46M +39,284 +1.62%
1973 2.42M +13,646 +0.57%
1972 2.41M +13,857 +0.58%
1971 2.4M +4,007 +0.17%
1970 2.39M −86,897 −3.51%
1969 2.48M −116,699 −4.5%
1968 2.6M −117,068 −4.32%
1967 2.71M −78,321 −2.81%
1966 2.79M −10,810 −0.39%
1965 2.8M +211 +0.01%
1964 2.8M +11,271 +0.4%
1963 2.79M +8,256 +0.3%
1962 2.78M +14,193 +0.51%
1961 2.77M −16,430 −0.59%
1960 2.78M

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.