Kosovo: Rural population growth (annual %)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Kosovo's rural population growth (annual %) rose 5.47 percentage points on 2024 (from -7.8% to -2.33%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −0.31 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.36 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 rise was 6.76 percentage points in 2000 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.83 percentage points in 1998. 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 0.51 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 41% 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, Kosovo had the 197th highest value of the 205 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 Kosovo in the 2025 ranking

• Belarus — 194th of 205: -2.15%
• Dominica — 195th of 205: -2.19%
• Greenland — 196th of 205: -2.21%
• Thailand — 198th of 205: -2.54%
• Northern Mariana Islands — 199th of 205: -2.98%
• Turks and Caicos Islands — 200th of 205: -3.3%

What this measures

Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, 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.

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 65 values

Rural population growth (annual %) in nearby economies

• Albania — -1.95% (2025)
• Andorra — 0.59% (2025)
• Armenia — 1.39% (2025)
• Austria — -0.49% (2025)
• Azerbaijan — 0.28% (2025)
• Belarus — -2.15% (2025)
• Belgium — 0.21% (2025)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — -1.96% (2025)
• Bulgaria — -0.99% (2025)
• Channel Islands — 0.29% (2025)
• Croatia

More environment data for Kosovo

• Rural population — 773,835 (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 49.07% (2025)
• Urban population — 803,041 (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 50.93% (2025)
• Urban population growth (annual %) — 0.09% (2025)
• Electricity production from coal sources (% of total) — 93.4% (2021)
• Electricity production from oil, gas and coal sources (% of total) — 93.63% (2021)
• Electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total) — 4.31% (2021)
• Electricity production from natural gas sources (% of total) — 0% (2021)

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 Kosovo's rural population growth (annual %)?

-2.33% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1961?

It is down 4.28 percentage points from 1.96% in 1961. The highest value was 2.1% in 1980 and the lowest -10.56% in 1999.

How does Kosovo rank?

197th highest of 205 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in rural population growth (annual %) unusual for Kosovo?

In 2025, Kosovo's rural population growth (annual %) rose 5.47 percentage points on 2024 (from -7.8% to -2.33%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −0.31 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.36 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.ZG, 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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