Rural population in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries): Rural population was 731.42 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Rural population in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) stood at 731.42 million. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 18.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 731.42 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 195.05 million, in 1960.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 214.10 million | 195.05 million | 234.59 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 264.48 million | 239.65 million | 291.93 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 332.09 million | 298.79 million | 365.27 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 410.08 million | 372.88 million | 449.33 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 501.55 million | 458.43 million | 547.28 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 610.81 million | 558.62 million | 663.65 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 703.69 million | 675.57 million | 731.42 million | 6 |
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
- Rural population 55.3% (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 17.9% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.96 billion current US$ (2025)
- Land under cereal production 85.37 million hectares (2024)
- Cereal yield 1,453 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal production 124.08 million metric tons (2024)
- Fertilizer consumption 19.59 kilograms per hectare of arable land (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Rural population in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) was 731.42 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 731.42 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 195.05 million in 1960.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.