Rural population, female in World

World: Rural population, female was 22.8% in 2015. ▼ Falling

Latest (2015)
22.8%
Rank
2nd
of 3 groups
All-time high
30.0%
in 1980
All-time low
22.8%
in 2015
Years of data
8
1980–2015

Rural population, female in World, 1980–2015

01020301980199720151980: 30 % of total1985: 29 % of total1990: 28.1 % of total1995: 27.2 % of total2000: 26.3 % of total2005: 25.2 % of total2010: 24 % of total2015: 22.8 % of total

Source: The United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects. Measured in % of total.

Analysis

In 2015, rural population, female in World stood at 22.8%. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rural population, female in World peaked at 30.0% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 22.8%, in 2015.

Rural population, female in World, year by year

Annual values for Rural population, female (% of total) in World, 1980 to 2015.
Year % of total Change
1980 30.0%
1985 29.0% -3.2%
1990 28.1% -3.0%
1995 27.2% -3.3%
2000 26.3% -3.1%
2005 25.2% -4.5%
2010 24.0% -4.7%
2015 22.8% -4.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 29.5% 29.0% 30.0% 2
1990s 27.7% 27.2% 28.1% 2
2000s 25.7% 25.2% 26.3% 2
2010s 23.4% 22.8% 24.0% 2

Countries ranked near World

  1. 1 Trinidad and Tobago 46.3% compare
  2. 2 Burundi 45.1% compare
  3. 3 Papua New Guinea 43.0% compare
  4. 4 Nepal 42.6% compare
  5. 5 Malawi 42.1% compare

See the full ranking of 241 places →

More gender data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is rural population, female in World?
Rural population, female in World was 22.8% in 2015, according to The United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects.
What is the highest rural population, female recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 30.0% in 1980.
What is the lowest rural population, female recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 22.8% in 2015.
How does World rank for rural population, female?
World ranks 2nd out of 3 groups with data for 2015.
Is rural population, female rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this World data come from?
The figures come from The United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects, published as part of Rural population, female (% of total). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Rural population, female in World. Statizoid, drawing on The United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/rural-population-female-percent-of-total/world/

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About this data

Indicator
Rural population, female (% of total)
Unit
% of total
Source
The United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
241 places, 1,928 data points, 1980–2015
Last refreshed

Female rural population is the percentage of females who live in rural areas to total population.