Rural population growth in Early-demographic dividend

Early-demographic dividend: Rural population growth was 0.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
0.5%
Change on year
down 2.9%
All-time high
2.2%
in 1961
All-time low
0.5%
in 2021
Years of data
65
1961–2025

Rural population growth in Early-demographic dividend, 1961–2025

0.511.52196119932025

Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.

Analysis

In 2025, rural population growth in Early-demographic dividend stood at 0.5%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.9% on the previous year and down 10.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rural population growth in Early-demographic dividend peaked at 2.2% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2021.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 2.1% 2.0% 2.2% 9
1970s 1.8% 1.7% 2.0% 10
1980s 1.9% 1.8% 2.0% 10
1990s 1.5% 1.3% 1.9% 10
2000s 1.0% 0.8% 1.3% 10
2010s 0.7% 0.5% 0.8% 10
2020s 0.5% 0.5% 0.6% 6

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Frequently asked questions

What is rural population growth in Early-demographic dividend?
Rural population growth in Early-demographic dividend was 0.5% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Early-demographic dividend?
The highest recorded value was 2.2% in 1961.
What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Early-demographic dividend?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2021.
Is rural population growth rising or falling in Early-demographic dividend?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Early-demographic dividend data come from?
The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Rural population growth (annual %)
Unit
annual %
Source
World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
256 places, 16,517 data points, 1961–2025
Last refreshed

Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.