Rural population in United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates: Rural population was 1.62 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
1.62 million
Change on year
up 3.7%
World rank
110th
of 215 countries
All-time high
1.62 million
in 2025
All-time low
34,804
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025

Rural population in United Arab Emirates, 1960–2025

0500.0k1.0M1.5M196019922025

Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).

Analysis

The most recent figure for rural population in United Arab Emirates is 1.62 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.

The figure is up 3.7% on the previous year and up 21.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rural population in United Arab Emirates peaked at 1.62 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 34,804, in 1960.

That places United Arab Emirates 110th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 37,708 34,804 46,763 10
1970s 94,563 53,803 166,103 10
1980s 279,184 191,925 378,849 10
1990s 532,015 404,591 689,119 10
2000s 875,743 723,621 1.13 million 10
2010s 1.30 million 1.14 million 1.42 million 10
2020s 1.49 million 1.39 million 1.62 million 6

Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates

  1. 107 Belarus 1.86 million compare
  2. 108 Bulgaria 1.66 million compare
  3. 109 Croatia 1.64 million compare
  4. 111 El Salvador 1.56 million compare
  5. 112 Panama 1.55 million compare
  6. 113 Georgia 1.53 million compare

See the full ranking of 264 places →

More agriculture & rural data for United Arab Emirates

All data for United Arab Emirates →

Frequently asked questions

What is rural population in United Arab Emirates?
Rural population in United Arab Emirates was 1.62 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
What is the highest rural population recorded in United Arab Emirates?
The highest recorded value was 1.62 million in 2025.
What is the lowest rural population recorded in United Arab Emirates?
The lowest recorded value was 34,804 in 1960.
How does United Arab Emirates rank for rural population?
United Arab Emirates ranks 110th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
Is rural population rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
Over the last ten years it is up 21.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this United Arab Emirates 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

Indicator
Rural population
Source
World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
264 places, 17,394 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

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.