Belgium: Rural population (% of total population)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Belgium's rural population (% of total population) fell 0.06 percentage points on 2024 (from 12.39% to 12.33%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −0.25 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.08 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly fall was 0.55 percentage points in 1967. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.13 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 93% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, Belgium had the 177th highest value of the 217 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Belgium in the 2025 ranking

• Switzerland — 173rd of 217: 14.27%
• United Arab Emirates — 174th of 217: 14.04%
• West Bank and Gaza — 175th of 217: 12.62%
• Australia — 177th of 217: 12.28%
• Libya — 178th of 217: 12.09%
• Brazil — 179th of 217: 11.82%

What this measures

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.

Limitations: Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverage. Estimates 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. Because 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.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 66 values

Rural population (% of total population) in nearby economies

• Albania — 41.13% (2025)
• Andorra — 11.05% (2025)
• Armenia — 34.07% (2025)
• Austria — 30.28% (2025)
• Azerbaijan — 41.36% (2025)
• Belarus — 20.51% (2025)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 47.31% (2025)
• Bulgaria — 25.83% (2025)
• Channel Islands — 67.36% (2025)
• Croatia — 42.19% (2025)

More environment data for Belgium

• Population in largest city — 2.14 million (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 20.45% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 3.21 million (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 26.85% (2025)
• Rural population — 1.47 million (2025)
• Urban population — 10.47 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 87.67% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 303 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 17,068 (2024)
• Total fisheries production (metric tons)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Belgium's rural population (% of total population)?

12.33% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is down 21.8 percentage points from 34.13% in 1960. The highest value was 34.13% in 1960 and the lowest 12.33% in 2025.

How does Belgium rank?

177th highest of 217 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in rural population (% of total population) unusual for Belgium?

In 2025, Belgium's rural population (% of total population) fell 0.06 percentage points on 2024 (from 12.39% to 12.33%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −0.25 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.08 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SP.RUR.TOTL.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: 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; Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), note: Wo… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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