Rural population — all countries

Rural population — Central America

Rural population in Central America in 2025 — 46,226,434 people. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 72.4%.

2025 46.23M people −0.16% vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 46.68M people2018
Period minimum 26.82M people1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Rural population — Central America, 1960–202525M30M35M40M45M50M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 26,820,119 people1962: 27,798,579 people1964: 28,790,083 people1966: 29,773,727 people1968: 30,747,787 people1970: 31,708,609 people1972: 32,642,754 people1974: 33,570,966 people1976: 34,503,460 people1978: 35,437,124 people1980: 36,332,819 people1982: 37,064,866 people1984: 37,814,631 people1986: 38,569,774 people1988: 39,322,664 people1990: 40,091,889 people1992: 40,872,393 people1994: 41,601,726 people1996: 42,156,430 people1998: 42,487,686 people2000: 42,677,587 people2002: 42,706,388 people2004: 42,859,063 people2006: 43,461,082 people2008: 44,285,993 people2010: 45,117,370 people2012: 45,841,322 people2014: 46,351,195 people2016: 46,599,131 people2018: 46,684,015 people2020: 46,505,657 people2022: 46,365,672 people2024: 46,300,682 people2025: 46,226,434 people
Change over the period: +19.41M (+72.36%) Average annual rate: 0.84 %

Comparison, 2025

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

Central America 46.23M people
World 3.46B people
Rural population — Central America, by year Central America All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 46.23M −74,248 −0.16%
2024 46.3M −44,135 −0.1%
2023 46.34M −20,855 −0.04%
2022 46.37M −58,327 −0.13%
2021 46.42M −81,658 −0.18%
2020 46.51M −110,329 −0.24%
2019 46.62M −68,029 −0.15%
2018 46.68M +26,928 +0.06%
2017 46.66M +57,956 +0.12%
2016 46.6M +96,624 +0.21%
2015 46.5M +151,312 +0.33%
2014 46.35M +228,343 +0.5%
2013 46.12M +281,530 +0.61%
2012 45.84M +347,528 +0.76%
2011 45.49M +376,424 +0.83%
2010 45.12M +411,443 +0.92%
2009 44.71M +419,934 +0.95%
2008 44.29M +422,187 +0.96%
2007 43.86M +402,724 +0.93%
2006 43.46M +365,307 +0.85%
2005 43.1M +236,712 +0.55%
2004 42.86M +110,401 +0.26%
2003 42.75M +42,274 +0.1%
2002 42.71M +6,559 +0.02%
2001 42.7M +22,242 +0.05%
2000 42.68M +77,757 +0.18%
1999 42.6M +112,144 +0.26%
1998 42.49M +143,143 +0.34%
1997 42.34M +188,113 +0.45%
1996 42.16M +244,301 +0.58%
1995 41.91M +310,403 +0.75%
1994 41.6M +354,613 +0.86%
1993 41.25M +374,720 +0.92%
1992 40.87M +387,297 +0.96%
1991 40.49M +393,207 +0.98%
1990 40.09M +389,314 +0.98%
1989 39.7M +379,911 +0.97%
1988 39.32M +379,176 +0.97%
1987 38.94M +373,714 +0.97%
1986 38.57M +375,015 +0.98%
1985 38.19M +380,128 +1.01%
1984 37.81M +381,278 +1.02%
1983 37.43M +368,487 +0.99%
1982 37.06M +351,813 +0.96%
1981 36.71M +380,234 +1.05%
1980 36.33M +434,486 +1.21%
1979 35.9M +461,209 +1.3%
1978 35.44M +471,760 +1.35%
1977 34.97M +461,904 +1.34%
1976 34.5M +462,118 +1.36%
1975 34.04M +470,376 +1.4%
1974 33.57M +466,820 +1.41%
1973 33.1M +461,392 +1.41%
1972 32.64M +463,086 +1.44%
1971 32.18M +471,059 +1.49%
1970 31.71M +478,604 +1.53%
1969 31.23M +482,218 +1.57%
1968 30.75M +485,725 +1.61%
1967 30.26M +488,335 +1.64%
1966 29.77M +490,648 +1.68%
1965 29.28M +492,996 +1.71%
1964 28.79M +495,362 +1.75%
1963 28.29M +496,142 +1.78%
1962 27.8M +494,385 +1.81%
1961 27.3M +484,075 +1.8%
1960 26.82M

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.