Rural population growth in Netherlands
Netherlands: Rural population growth was -6.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rural population growth in Netherlands, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Netherlands recorded -6.6% for rural population growth in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.2% on the previous year and down 64.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in Netherlands peaked at 1.3% in 1963 and was at its lowest, -18.4%, in 2019.
Netherlands ranks 203rd of 207 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.7% | 0.0% | 1.3% | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.0% | -1.2% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.6% | -1.7% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | -2.5% | -11.5% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | -4.7% | -7.5% | -1.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | -7.6% | -18.4% | -2.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | -6.1% | -6.6% | -5.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More agriculture & rural data for Netherlands
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.4% (2024)
- Rural population 4.1% (2025)
- Rural population 734,613 (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.7% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 22.43 billion current US$ (2025)
- Land under cereal production 153,500 hectares (2024)
- Cereal yield 6,806 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal production 1.04 million metric tons (2024)
- Fertilizer consumption 238.02 kilograms per hectare of arable land (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in Netherlands?
- Rural population growth in Netherlands was -6.6% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 1.3% in 1963.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was -18.4% in 2019.
- How does Netherlands rank for rural population growth?
- Netherlands ranks 203rd out of 207 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 64.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Netherlands 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
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.