Ethiopia vs Kenya: Rural population density

Ethiopia
482.76 rural population per sq. km of arable land
in 2011
Kenya
575.09 rural population per sq. km of arable land
in 2011
Ethiopia rank
14th
Kenya rank
11th

Rural population density over time

  • Ethiopia
  • Kenya
200300400500600196119862011

How they compare

Kenya currently reports 575.09 rural population per sq. km of arable land against 482.76 rural population per sq. km of arable land in Ethiopia, a difference of 92.33 rural population per sq. km of arable land.

That makes Kenya's figure about 1.2 times Ethiopia's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 51 shared years of data; in 1961 it was Kenya ahead.

Ethiopia ranks 14th and Kenya ranks 11th of 53 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Ethiopia averaged higher in 1 and Kenya in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade Ethiopia Kenya Difference Ahead
1960s 198.93 rural population per sq. km of arable land 248.93 rural population per sq. km of arable land 50.01 rural population per sq. km of arable land Kenya
1970s 225.56 rural population per sq. km of arable land 317.85 rural population per sq. km of arable land 92.29 rural population per sq. km of arable land Kenya
1980s 303.71 rural population per sq. km of arable land 380.17 rural population per sq. km of arable land 76.46 rural population per sq. km of arable land Kenya
1990s 477.73 rural population per sq. km of arable land 438.29 rural population per sq. km of arable land 39.44 rural population per sq. km of arable land Ethiopia
2000s 527.22 rural population per sq. km of arable land 528.88 rural population per sq. km of arable land 1.66 rural population per sq. km of arable land Kenya
2010s 488.9 rural population per sq. km of arable land 569.03 rural population per sq. km of arable land 80.13 rural population per sq. km of arable land Kenya

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher rural population density, Ethiopia or Kenya?
Kenya, at 575.09 rural population per sq. km of arable land against 482.76 rural population per sq. km of arable land in Ethiopia as of 2011.
What is the difference in rural population density between Ethiopia and Kenya?
92.33 rural population per sq. km of arable land, with Kenya ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and Kenya?
51 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2011.
How do Ethiopia and Kenya rank globally for rural population density?
Ethiopia ranks 14th and Kenya ranks 11th of 53 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Food and Agriculture Organization and World Bank population estimates, published as Rural population density (rural population per sq. km of arable land). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Ethiopia vs Kenya: Rural population density. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization and World Bank population estimates. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/rural-population-density-rural-population-per-sq-km-of-arable-land/ethiopia/kenya/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/rural-population-density-rural-population-per-sq-km-of-arable-land/ethiopia/kenya/">Ethiopia vs Kenya: Rural population density</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Rural population density (rural population per sq. km of arable land)
Unit
rural population per sq. km of arable land
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization and World Bank population estimates
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
59 places, 2,977 data points, 1961–2011
Last refreshed

Rural population density is the rural population divided by the arable land area. Rural population is calculated as the difference between the total population and the urban population. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded.