Rural population — all countries

Rural population — Southern Asia

Rural population in Southern Asia in 2025 — 1,294,271,613 people. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 167.9%.

2025 1.29B people +0.48% vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 1.29B people2025
Period minimum 483M people1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Rural population — Southern Asia, 1960–2025250M500M750M1B1.25B1.5B19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 483,046,093 people1962: 505,387,526 people1964: 528,259,163 people1966: 550,755,620 people1968: 573,287,399 people1970: 596,401,419 people1972: 618,846,942 people1974: 642,661,662 people1976: 666,461,804 people1978: 690,362,318 people1980: 716,518,842 people1982: 745,693,994 people1984: 777,484,537 people1986: 810,618,206 people1988: 844,385,481 people1990: 878,701,011 people1992: 912,830,930 people1994: 947,003,703 people1996: 980,697,761 people1998: 1,013,927,387 people2000: 1,046,385,349 people2002: 1,077,022,684 people2004: 1,104,720,691 people2006: 1,129,376,816 people2008: 1,150,935,630 people2010: 1,172,166,228 people2012: 1,194,042,289 people2014: 1,213,494,218 people2016: 1,231,225,725 people2018: 1,248,419,006 people2020: 1,264,127,499 people2022: 1,275,919,358 people2024: 1,288,103,347 people2025: 1,294,271,613 people
Change over the period: +811M (+167.94%) Average annual rate: 1.53 %

Comparison, 2025

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

Southern Asia 1.29B people
World 3.46B people
Rural population — Southern Asia, by year Southern Asia All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 1.29B +6.17M +0.48%
2024 1.29B +6.25M +0.49%
2023 1.28B +5.93M +0.46%
2022 1.28B +5.54M +0.44%
2021 1.27B +6.25M +0.49%
2020 1.26B +7.65M +0.61%
2019 1.26B +8.06M +0.65%
2018 1.25B +8.47M +0.68%
2017 1.24B +8.72M +0.71%
2016 1.23B +8.78M +0.72%
2015 1.22B +8.96M +0.74%
2014 1.21B +9.72M +0.81%
2013 1.2B +9.74M +0.82%
2012 1.19B +11.12M +0.94%
2011 1.18B +10.76M +0.92%
2010 1.17B +10.59M +0.91%
2009 1.16B +10.64M +0.92%
2008 1.15B +10.44M +0.92%
2007 1.14B +11.12M +0.98%
2006 1.13B +12.04M +1.08%
2005 1.12B +12.62M +1.14%
2004 1.1B +13.53M +1.24%
2003 1.09B +14.17M +1.32%
2002 1.08B +15.02M +1.41%
2001 1.06B +15.62M +1.49%
2000 1.05B +15.99M +1.55%
1999 1.03B +16.47M +1.62%
1998 1.01B +16.66M +1.67%
1997 997M +16.57M +1.69%
1996 981M +16.93M +1.76%
1995 964M +16.77M +1.77%
1994 947M +16.9M +1.82%
1993 930M +17.27M +1.89%
1992 913M +17.07M +1.91%
1991 896M +17.06M +1.94%
1990 879M +17.14M +1.99%
1989 862M +17.17M +2.03%
1988 844M +16.96M +2.05%
1987 827M +16.8M +2.07%
1986 811M +16.73M +2.11%
1985 794M +16.41M +2.11%
1984 777M +16.12M +2.12%
1983 761M +15.67M +2.1%
1982 746M +14.96M +2.05%
1981 731M +14.22M +1.98%
1980 717M +13.57M +1.93%
1979 703M +12.59M +1.82%
1978 690M +12.02M +1.77%
1977 678M +11.89M +1.78%
1976 666M +11.85M +1.81%
1975 655M +11.95M +1.86%
1974 643M +11.94M +1.89%
1973 631M +11.87M +1.92%
1972 619M +11.17M +1.84%
1971 608M +11.28M +1.89%
1970 596M +11.79M +2.02%
1969 585M +11.33M +1.98%
1968 573M +11.38M +2.03%
1967 562M +11.15M +2.02%
1966 551M +11.1M +2.06%
1965 540M +11.4M +2.16%
1964 528M +11.53M +2.23%
1963 517M +11.34M +2.24%
1962 505M +11.23M +2.27%
1961 494M +11.11M +2.3%
1960 483M

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.