Estonia: Rural population (% of total population)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Estonia's rural population (% of total population) fell 0.02 percentage points on 2024 (from 29.3% to 29.28%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −0.04 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.24 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.54 percentage points in 1995 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.27 percentage points in 1962. 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 0.24 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 96% 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, Estonia had the 132nd 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 Estonia in the 2025 ranking

• Paraguay — 129th of 217: 29.61%
• Hungary — 130th of 217: 29.31%
• Tunisia — 131st of 217: 29.3%
• Mongolia — 133rd of 217: 28.85%
• Angola — 134th of 217: 28.54%
• Bolivia — 135th of 217: 28.44%

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)
• Belgium — 12.33% (2025)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 47.31% (2025)
• Bulgaria — 25.83% (2025)
• Channel Islands — 67.36% (2025)

More environment data for Estonia

• Population in largest city — 457,657 (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 47.36% (2025)
• Rural population — 400,092 (2025)
• Urban population — 966,383 (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 70.72% (2025)
• Rural population growth (annual %) — -0.51% (2025)
• Urban population growth (annual %) — -0.4% (2025)
• Agricultural land (sq. km) — 9,820 (2024)
• Surface area (sq. km) — 45,340 (2024)
• Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e) — 14.13 (2024)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

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

29.28% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is down 13.13 percentage points from 42.41% in 1960. The highest value was 42.41% in 1960 and the lowest 28.57% in 1989.

How does Estonia rank?

132nd highest of 217 economies with data for 2025.

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

In 2025, Estonia's rural population (% of total population) fell 0.02 percentage points on 2024 (from 29.3% to 29.28%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −0.04 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.24 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

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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