Countries by Rural population (% of total population)
Liechtenstein ranks first globally with 85.34% of its population living in rural areas, according to 2024 World Bank data covering 216 countries. At the other extreme, 12 countries including Singapore, Kuwait, Monaco, and Hong Kong SAR register 0% rural population. The 85-percentage-point gap between the top and bottom of the ranking reflects the full spectrum of settlement patterns across the world.
Ranking 2024
Values shown in %.
Analysis
This metric measures the share of a country's total population living in rural areas, 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. The unit is percent of total population, and a higher value means a greater rural share. The World Bank indicator code is SP.RUR.TOTL.ZS. Data covers 216 countries for the reference year 2024, with 100% of datapoints sourced from official statistics and all 216 countries reporting data from the last seven years. No extreme outliers were identified using a 3-standard-deviation threshold, and average year-over-year change is 1.0%, indicating stable series.
The top of the ranking is dominated by small island states, landlocked agrarian economies, and Sub-Saharan African countries. Liechtenstein leads at 85.34% (Rank 1), followed by Papua New Guinea at 84.59% (Rank 2) and Malawi at 82.73% (Rank 3). Samoa (82.50%, Rank 4) and Niger (81.95%, Rank 5) round out the top five. Sri Lanka ranks 6th at 79.70% and South Sudan 8th at 78.62%. India, the world's most populous country, ranks 35th at 64.62%, reflecting that a large absolute rural population can coexist with a moderately high rural share. Bangladesh ranks 30th at 67.32%.
The middle of the ranking shows considerable diversity. Countries near the 50% mark include Kosovo (49.68%, Rank 63), Namibia (49.59%, Rank 64), and Uzbekistan (49.00%, Rank 65). Romania ranks 68th at 47.83% and the Slovak Republic 70th at 46.81%. China ranks 115th at 34.11%, and the United States ranks 160th at 19.88%. A notable anomaly is Antigua and Barbuda at Rank 12 with 75.61%, placing it among the most rural nations globally despite being a small Caribbean island state. Sri Lanka at Rank 6 (79.70%) also stands out given its level of economic development relative to other countries at the top of the list.
A key limitation of this metric is that rural and urban definitions vary by country, as classifications are set by national statistical offices rather than a uniform international standard. This makes direct cross-country comparisons imprecise. A locality classified as rural in one country might be classified as urban in another. Additionally, the metric measures population share rather than absolute numbers, so large countries with high total populations can rank anywhere on this scale regardless of their absolute rural headcount. Countries with 0% rural population (Ranks 205-216) include both city-states such as Singapore and Monaco, and territories such as Bermuda and Gibraltar, where the entire settled area is classified as urban by national definitions.
Methodology
Data is sourced from the World Bank World Development Indicators, indicator code SP.RUR.TOTL.ZS, for the reference year 2024. The metric is defined as follows: 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. Values are expressed as a percentage of total population. The dataset covers 216 countries, all of which have data from within the last seven years (100% recency). All 216 datapoints are classified as official statistics (100% data quality). No extreme outliers were found using a 3-standard-deviation threshold. The average year-over-year change across the series is 1.0%, indicating low volatility. Values range from 0.00% to 85.34%, a spread of 85.34 percentage points. A higher value indicates a larger rural population share. Because rural and urban definitions are set nationally rather than by a single international standard, cross-country comparability is limited.