Low income Countries Ranked by Rural population (2025)
Rural population: each country's latest value (2020–2025), ranked from highest to lowest. Source: The World Bank (CC BY 4.0).
Summary
Ethiopia ranks #1 with 102.81 million people. That is 1.7 times Congo, Dem. Rep. in second place (61.93 million people). The top five are Ethiopia, Congo, Dem. Rep., Uganda, Sudan and Afghanistan. Together the top 10 account for 75.9% of the total across the 25 Low income countries listed. The median across all 25 is 15.21 million people; Gambia, The is last at 988,060 people. Ethiopia's figure has risen 74% since 2001 (58.98 million people to 102.81 million people in 2025).
- #1
- Ethiopia · 102.81 million people
- Median
- 15.21 million people
- Coverage
- 25 Low income countries
- Data year
- 2025
- Last updated
- 2026-11-14
Ethiopia 20.7%Congo, Dem. Rep. 12.4%Uganda 7.0%Sudan 6.8%Afghanistan 6.5%All others 46.6%
Full ranking
| Rank | Country | Rural population (people) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ethiopia | 102,810,000 |
| 2 | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 61,930,000 |
| 3 | Uganda | 34,973,000 |
| 4 | Sudan | 33,614,000 |
| 5 | Afghanistan | 32,471,000 |
| 6 | Yemen, Rep. | 26,303,000 |
| 7 | Niger | 22,788,000 |
| 8 | Mozambique | 22,374,000 |
| 9 | Madagascar | 21,968,000 |
| 10 | Malawi | 18,307,000 |
| 11 | Burkina Faso | 17,112,000 |
| 12 | Mali | 17,082,000 |
| 13 | Chad | 15,214,000 |
| 14 | Burundi | 10,694,000 |
| 15 | Rwanda | 10,065,000 |
| 16 | South Sudan | 9,545,700 |
| 17 | Korea, Dem. People's Rep. | 9,515,100 |
| 18 | Somalia, Fed. Rep. | 8,817,100 |
| 19 | Syrian Arab Republic | 7,152,300 |
| 20 | Sierra Leone | 4,769,100 |
| 21 | Central African Republic | 3,056,900 |
| 22 | Liberia | 2,517,000 |
| 23 | Eritrea | 2,361,100 |
| 24 | Guinea-Bissau | 1,200,100 |
| 25 | Gambia, The | 988,060 |
About the top 10
#1 Ethiopia
Ethiopia ranks #1 on this list with 102.81 million people.
- Capital
- Addis Ababa
- Continent
- Africa
- Income group
- Low income
- Population
- 135.47 million people (2025)
- GDP
- US$126.36 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$932.7 (2025)
- Life expectancy
- 67.6 years (2024)
- Urban population
- 24.1% of population (2025)
Largest cities: Addis Ababa.
Also ranks #3 in children out of school (primary) · #6 in rural population · #6 in gdp growth rate.
#2 Congo, Dem. Rep.
Congo, Dem. Rep. ranks #2 on this list with 61.93 million people.
- Capital
- Kinshasa
- Continent
- Africa
- Income group
- Low income
- Population
- 112.83 million people (2025)
- GDP
- US$91.03 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$806.8 (2025)
- Life expectancy
- 62.1 years (2024)
- Urban population
- 45.1% of population (2025)
Largest cities: Kinshasa, Mbuji-Mayi, Kananga.
Also ranks #1 in renewable energy share · #1 in poverty headcount ratio · #1 in mineral rents share of gdp.
#3 Uganda
Uganda ranks #3 on this list with 34.97 million people.
- Capital
- Kampala
- Continent
- Africa
- Income group
- Low income
- Population
- 51.39 million people (2025)
- GDP
- US$61.99 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$1,206 (2025)
- Life expectancy
- 68.5 years (2024)
- Urban population
- 31.9% of population (2025)
Largest cities: Kampala.
Also ranks #6 in renewable energy share · #6 in refugee population by asylum · #7 in agricultural land share.
#4 Sudan
Sudan ranks #4 on this list with 33.61 million people.
- Capital
- Khartoum
- Continent
- Africa
- Income group
- Low income
- Population
- 51.66 million people (2025)
- GDP
- US$60.16 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$1,165 (2025)
- Life expectancy
- 66.5 years (2024)
- Urban population
- 34.9% of population (2025)
Largest cities: Khartoum, Omdurman.
Also ranks #2 in inflation rate · #4 in children out of school (primary) · #5 in refugee population by origin.
#5 Afghanistan
Afghanistan ranks #5 on this list with 32.47 million people.
- Capital
- Kabul
- Continent
- Asia
- Income group
- Low income
- Population
- 43.84 million people (2025)
- GDP
- US$17.78 billion (2024)
- GDP per person
- US$416.9 (2024)
- Life expectancy
- 66.3 years (2024)
- Urban population
- 25.9% of population (2025)
Largest cities: Kabul.
Also ranks #1 in refugee population by origin · #4 in health expenditure share of gdp · #6 in agriculture value added share of gdp.
#6 Yemen, Rep.
Yemen, Rep. ranks #6 on this list with 26.3 million people.
- Capital
- Sanaa, Aden
- Continent
- Asia
- Income group
- Low income
- Population
- 41.77 million people (2025)
- Life expectancy
- 69.4 years (2024)
- Urban population
- 37% of population (2025)
- International tourist arrivals
- 398,000 arrivals (2015)
- CO2 emissions per person
- 0.261 t CO2e per person (2024)
Also ranks #2 in prevalence of stunting (under-5) · #2 in prevalence of wasting (under-5) · #12 in unemployment rate.
#7 Niger
Niger ranks #7 on this list with 22.79 million people.
- Capital
- Niamey
- Continent
- Africa
- Income group
- Low income
- Population
- 27.92 million people (2025)
- GDP
- US$21.65 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$775.4 (2025)
- Life expectancy
- 61.4 years (2024)
- Urban population
- 18.4% of population (2025)
Largest cities: Niamey.
Also ranks #1 in agriculture value added share of gdp · #2 in under-5 mortality rate · #3 in population ages 0-14 share.
#8 Mozambique
Mozambique ranks #8 on this list with 22.37 million people.
- Capital
- Maputo
- Continent
- Africa
- Income group
- Low income
- Population
- 35.63 million people (2025)
- GDP
- US$22.34 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$626.9 (2025)
- Life expectancy
- 63.8 years (2024)
- Urban population
- 37.2% of population (2025)
Largest cities: Maputo, Matola.
Also ranks #2 in poverty headcount ratio · #3 in income share of richest 10% · #4 in debt service share of exports.
#9 Madagascar
Madagascar ranks #9 on this list with 21.97 million people.
- Capital
- Antananarivo
- Continent
- Africa
- Income group
- Low income
- Population
- 32.74 million people (2025)
- GDP
- US$19.62 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$599.3 (2025)
- Life expectancy
- 63.8 years (2024)
- Urban population
- 32.9% of population (2025)
Largest cities: Antananarivo.
Also ranks #1 in female labour force participation · #1 in lending interest rate · #2 in labour force participation rate.
#10 Malawi
Malawi ranks #10 on this list with 18.31 million people.
- Capital
- Lilongwe
- Continent
- Africa
- Income group
- Low income
- Population
- 22.22 million people (2025)
- GDP
- US$14.92 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$671.5 (2025)
- Life expectancy
- 67.6 years (2024)
- Urban population
- 17.6% of population (2025)
Also ranks #3 in school enrolment (primary) · #3 in pupil-teacher ratio (primary) · #3 in poverty headcount ratio.
Profile facts: World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0); weather links go to Purr Weather, another ChowChow Labs site.
Source and method
Rural population: each country's latest value (2020–2025), ranked from highest to lowest.
Source: The World Bank, indicator SP.RUR.TOTL. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Retrieved: 2026-11-14.
The World Bank: Rural population: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN) (via World Development Indicators)
Original data provider, as recorded by the World Bank: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), note: World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospe.
Values are shown as published. Provider terms: The World Bank. All licences: Sources & licences.