{"id":1205475,"name":"Rural population","unit":"","createdAt":"2026-03-01T08:25:01.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-12T18:50:42.000Z","coverage":"","timespan":"1960-2024","datasetId":7396,"columnOrder":0,"shortName":"sp_rur_totl","catalogPath":"grapher/worldbank_wdi/2026-02-27/wdi/wdi#sp_rur_totl","descriptionFromProducer":"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.\n\n### Aggregation method:\nSum\n\n### Statistical concept and methodology:\nMethodology: The indicator is calculated using World Bank's total population estimates and rural ratios derived from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.\nStatistical concept(s): Rural population is calculated as the difference between the total population and the urban population. Rural population is approximated as the midyear nonurban population. While a practical means of identifying the rural population, it is not a precise measure.\n\n### Development relevance:\nThe rural population is calculated using the urban share reported by the United Nations Population Division.\n\nThe two distinct images - isolated farm, thriving metropolis - represent poles on a continuum. Life changes along a variety of dimensions, moving from the most remote forest outpost through fields and pastures, past tiny hamlets, through small towns with weekly farm markets, into intensively cultivated areas near large towns and small cities, eventually reaching the center of a megacity. Along the way access to infrastructure, social services, and nonfarm employment increase, and with them population density and income.\n\nA 2005 World Bank Policy Research Paper proposes an operational definition of rurality based on population density and distance to large cities (Chomitz, Buys, and Thomas 2005). The report argues that these criteria are important gradients along which economic behavior and appropriate development interventions vary substantially. Where population densities are low, markets of all kinds are thin, and the unit cost of delivering most social services and many types of infrastructure is high. Where large urban areas are distant, farm-gate or factory-gate prices of outputs will be low and input prices will be high, and it will be difficult to recruit skilled people to public service or private enterprises. Thus, low population density and remoteness together define a set of rural areas that face special development challenges.\n\nCountries differ in the way they classify population as \"urban\" or \"rural.\"\n\nMost countries use an urban classification related to the size or characteristics of settlements. Some define urban areas based on the presence of certain infrastructure and services. And other countries designate urban areas based on administrative arrangements. Because of national differences in the characteristics that distinguish urban from rural areas, the distinction between urban and rural population is not amenable to a single definition that would be applicable to all countries.\n\nRural population methodology is defined by various national statistical offices. In the United States, for example, the US Census Bureau's urban-rural classification is fundamentally a delineation of geographical areas, identifying both individual urban areas and the rural areas of the nation. \"Rural\" encompasses all population, housing, and territory not included within an urban area.\n\n### Limitations and exceptions:\nAggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverage.\n\nEstimates of the world's urban population would change significantly if China, India, and a few other populous nations were to change their definition of urban centers.\n\nBecause the estimates of city and metropolitan area are based on national definitions of what constitutes a city or metropolitan area, cross-country comparisons should be made with caution. To estimate urban populations, UN ratios of urban to total population were applied to the World Bank's estimates of total population.","type":"int","dataChecksum":"17832674244236971152","metadataChecksum":"7726086394047073142","datasetName":"World Development Indicators","updatePeriodDays":365,"datasetVersion":"2026-02-27","nonRedistributable":false,"display":{},"schemaVersion":2,"presentation":{},"dimensions":{"years":{"values":[{"id":1960},{"id":1961},{"id":1962},{"id":1963},{"id":1964},{"id":1965},{"id":1966},{"id":1967},{"id":1968},{"id":1969},{"id":1970},{"id":1971},{"id":1972},{"id":1973},{"id":1974},{"id":1975},{"id":1976},{"id":1977},{"id":1978},{"id":1979},{"id":1980},{"id":1981},{"id":1982},{"id":1983},{"id":1984},{"id":1985},{"id":1986},{"id":1987},{"id":1988},{"id":1989},{"id":1990},{"id":1991},{"id":1992},{"id":1993},{"id":1994},{"id":1995},{"id":1996},{"id":1997},{"id":1998},{"id":1999},{"id":2000},{"id":2001},{"id":2002},{"id":2003},{"id":2004},{"id":2005},{"id":2006},{"id":2007},{"id":2008},{"id":2009},{"id":2010},{"id":2011},{"id":2012},{"id":2013},{"id":2014},{"id":2015},{"id":2016},{"id":2017},{"id":2018},{"id":2019},{"id":2020},{"id":2021},{"id":2022},{"id":2023},{"id":2024}]},"entities":{"values":[{"id":15,"name":"Afghanistan","code":"AFG"},{"id":16,"name":"Albania","code":"ALB"},{"id":17,"name":"Algeria","code":"DZA"},{"id":246,"name":"American 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It includes over 1,500 indicators covering more than 200 countries and territories, with data spanning several decades.WDI serves as a vital resource for policymakers, researchers, businesses, and analysts seeking to understand global trends and make data-driven decisions. The database covers a wide range of topics, including economic growth, education, health, poverty, trade, energy, infrastructure, governance, and environmental sustainability.The indicators are sourced from reputable national and international agencies, ensuring high-quality, consistent, and comparable data. Users can access the database through interactive online tools, API services, and downloadable datasets, facilitating detailed analysis and visualization.WDI is also used for tracking progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other global development initiatives. By providing accessible and reliable statistics, it helps to inform policy discussions and strategies globally.Whether for academic research, policy planning, or economic analysis, the World Development Indicators database is an essential tool for understanding and addressing global development challenges.","producer":"World Bank based on data from the UN Population Division","citationFull":"World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), uri: https://population.un.org/wup/, note: World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects, National definitions, publisher: UN Population Division;\nStaff estimates, World Bank (WB), note: World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects, National definitions. Indicator SP.RUR.TOTL (https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.RUR.TOTL). World Development Indicators - World Bank (2026). Accessed on 2026-02-27.","versionProducer":"125","urlMain":"https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.RUR.TOTL","urlDownload":"https://databankfiles.worldbank.org/public/ddpext_download/WDI_CSV.zip","dateAccessed":"2026-02-27","datePublished":"2026-01-28","license":{"url":"https://datacatalog.worldbank.org/search/dataset/0037712/World-Development-Indicators","name":"CC BY 4.0"}}]}