Statizoid

Rural population density (rural population per sq. km of arable land) by country

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...

Countries reporting
53
Highest
10,378 rural population per sq. km of arable land
Djibouti
Lowest
65.39 rural population per sq. km of arable land
Gabon
Median
300.96 rural population per sq. km of arable land
Years covered
51
1961–2011
Data points
2,977

What the numbers show

Rural population density (rural population per sq. km of arable land) is currently reported for 53 countries. The highest value is 10,378 rural population per sq. km of arable land in Djibouti; the lowest is 65.39 rural population per sq. km of arable land in Gabon.

The median across all reporting countries is 300.96 rural population per sq. km of arable land, and the mean is 619.38 rural population per sq. km of arable land.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 159.

Over the past decade 33 countries rose and 20 fell. The largest increase was in Burundi (up 36.1%), and the largest decrease in Djibouti (down 40.9%).

Rural population density: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Djibouti 10,378 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 down 40.9% rising
2 Seychelles 3,988 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 down 0.5% rising
3 Egypt 1,624 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 18.0% rising
4 Mauritius 959.63 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 26.7% rising
5 Burundi 830.23 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 36.1% rising
6 Rwanda 725.47 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 0.4% rising
7 Sao Tome and Principe 723.5 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 down 22.7% volatile
8 Comoros 661.37 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 27.3% rising
9 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 654.87 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 22.4% rising
10 Eritrea 617.16 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 10.8% falling
11 Kenya 575.09 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 15.3% rising
12 Somalia 540.74 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 12.1% rising
13 Lesotho 515.88 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 7.8% rising
14 Ethiopia 482.76 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 down 9.7% rising
15 Eswatini 480.31 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 9.0% rising
16 Liberia 475.41 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 11.1% rising
17 Mauritania 460.32 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 27.0% rising
18 Uganda 431.6 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 6.4% rising
19 Madagascar 410.66 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 5.4% rising
20 Cape Verde 398.57 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 down 9.9% falling
21 Malawi 360.19 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 4.4% rising
22 Côte d'Ivoire 338.57 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 0.6% rising
23 Equatorial Guinea 335.11 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 32.6% rising
24 Sierra Leone 331.19 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 down 19.1% falling
25 Mozambique 316.54 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 down 4.2% falling
26 Botswana 300.97 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 down 26.6% rising
27 Congo 300.96 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 12.4% rising
28 Tanzania, United Republic of 291.88 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 down 7.8% rising
29 Guinea-Bissau 289.31 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 8.2% rising
30 Ghana 250.34 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 down 6.4% falling
31 Zambia 241.1 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 down 3.1% rising
32 Guinea 231.49 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 down 12.4% rising
33 Nigeria 227.39 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 down 5.5% rising
34 Burkina Faso 218.77 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 down 2.3% flat
35 Angola 195.5 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 down 18.5% rising
36 Benin 194.31 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 15.9% falling
37 Zimbabwe 190.94 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 down 17.4% rising
38 Senegal 190.49 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 2.0% rising
39 Chad 183.87 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 7.3% rising
40 Namibia 178.97 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 12.4% rising
41 Morocco 174.53 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 9.7% rising
42 Gambia 168.89 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 down 19.6% falling
43 South Africa 159.81 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 14.2% rising
44 Cameroon 154.8 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 6.8% rising
45 Togo 151.98 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 8.8% rising
46 Central African Republic 151.8 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 24.9% rising
47 Mali 150.23 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 down 16.5% falling
48 Algeria 130 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 down 16.3% rising
49 Tunisia 126.65 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 0.2% rising
50 Sudan 121.5 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 4.7% rising
51 Niger 88.34 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 30.4% rising
52 Libya 81.72 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 up 18.1% rising
53 Gabon 65.39 rural population per sq. km of arable land 2011 down 12.4% volatile

Regions and income groups

Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.

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Rural population density by country. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization and World Bank population estimates. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/rural-population-density-rural-population-per-sq-km-of-arable-land/

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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.