Rural population growth in World
World: Rural population growth was 0.3% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rural population growth in World, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population growth in World is 0.3%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 18.6% on the previous year and up 431.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in World peaked at 1.9% in 1962 and was at its lowest, -0.2%, in 2011.
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 | 1.6% | 0.9% | 1.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.4% | 1.0% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9% | 0.5% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | -0.2% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3% | -0.0% | 0.4% | 6 |
More agriculture & rural data for World
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
- Rural population 42.2% (2025)
- Rural population 3.46 billion (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 4.0% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 4.75 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Land under cereal production 415.70 million hectares (2024)
- Cereal yield 3,955 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal production 1.64 billion metric tons (2024)
- Fertilizer consumption 137.65 kilograms per hectare of arable land (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in World?
- Rural population growth in World was 0.3% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 1.9% in 1962.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.2% in 2011.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 431.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this World 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.
Download this data
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.