Rural population — all countries

Rural population — Southern Europe

Rural population in Southern Europe in 2025 — 42,974,345 people. Since 1960, the indicator has fallen by 26.1%.

2025 42.97M people −0.39% vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 58.16M people1960
Period minimum 42.97M people2025

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Rural population — Southern Europe, 1960–202540M45M50M55M60M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 58,163,476 people1962: 57,709,450 people1964: 56,865,671 people1966: 55,795,370 people1968: 54,729,613 people1970: 53,737,163 people1972: 53,163,496 people1974: 52,791,283 people1976: 52,781,610 people1978: 52,532,907 people1980: 52,382,492 people1982: 52,167,489 people1984: 51,928,426 people1986: 51,673,509 people1988: 51,407,848 people1990: 51,166,916 people1992: 50,464,820 people1994: 49,880,609 people1996: 49,608,009 people1998: 49,272,502 people2000: 48,735,868 people2002: 48,448,444 people2004: 48,339,276 people2006: 48,045,777 people2008: 47,795,321 people2010: 47,321,070 people2012: 46,665,329 people2014: 45,593,092 people2016: 44,932,046 people2018: 44,506,130 people2020: 44,062,779 people2022: 43,494,504 people2024: 43,142,247 people2025: 42,974,345 people
Change over the period: −15.19M (−26.11%) Average annual rate: -0.46 %

Comparison, 2025

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

Southern Europe 42.97M people
World 3.46B people
Rural population — Southern Europe, by year Southern Europe All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 42.97M −167,902 −0.39%
2024 43.14M −193,234 −0.45%
2023 43.34M −159,023 −0.37%
2022 43.49M −292,269 −0.67%
2021 43.79M −276,006 −0.63%
2020 44.06M −241,902 −0.55%
2019 44.3M −201,449 −0.45%
2018 44.51M −193,132 −0.43%
2017 44.7M −232,784 −0.52%
2016 44.93M −273,521 −0.61%
2015 45.21M −387,525 −0.85%
2014 45.59M −478,118 −1.04%
2013 46.07M −594,119 −1.27%
2012 46.67M −384,474 −0.82%
2011 47.05M −271,267 −0.57%
2010 47.32M −263,102 −0.55%
2009 47.58M −211,149 −0.44%
2008 47.8M −125,848 −0.26%
2007 47.92M −124,608 −0.26%
2006 48.05M −168,552 −0.35%
2005 48.21M −124,947 −0.26%
2004 48.34M −65,530 −0.14%
2003 48.4M −43,638 −0.09%
2002 48.45M −78,657 −0.16%
2001 48.53M −208,767 −0.43%
2000 48.74M −224,990 −0.46%
1999 48.96M −311,644 −0.63%
1998 49.27M −228,791 −0.46%
1997 49.5M −106,716 −0.22%
1996 49.61M −96,374 −0.19%
1995 49.7M −176,226 −0.35%
1994 49.88M −241,499 −0.48%
1993 50.12M −342,712 −0.68%
1992 50.46M −347,445 −0.68%
1991 50.81M −354,651 −0.69%
1990 51.17M −134,341 −0.26%
1989 51.3M −106,591 −0.21%
1988 51.41M −135,622 −0.26%
1987 51.54M −130,039 −0.25%
1986 51.67M −131,320 −0.25%
1985 51.8M −123,597 −0.24%
1984 51.93M −121,640 −0.23%
1983 52.05M −117,423 −0.23%
1982 52.17M −108,102 −0.21%
1981 52.28M −106,901 −0.2%
1980 52.38M −35,396 −0.07%
1979 52.42M −115,019 −0.22%
1978 52.53M −121,814 −0.23%
1977 52.65M −126,889 −0.24%
1976 52.78M −18,292 −0.03%
1975 52.8M +8,619 +0.02%
1974 52.79M −148,448 −0.28%
1973 52.94M −223,765 −0.42%
1972 53.16M −246,567 −0.46%
1971 53.41M −327,100 −0.61%
1970 53.74M −475,596 −0.88%
1969 54.21M −516,854 −0.94%
1968 54.73M −522,922 −0.95%
1967 55.25M −542,835 −0.97%
1966 55.8M −559,514 −0.99%
1965 56.35M −510,787 −0.9%
1964 56.87M −452,163 −0.79%
1963 57.32M −391,616 −0.68%
1962 57.71M −268,664 −0.46%
1961 57.98M −185,362 −0.32%
1960 58.16M

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.