Rural Innovation Pathways

1. Assessment and recommendations

Innovation in rural regions (“rural innovation”) is happening, despite a narrative to the contrary. Across the OECD, rural regions are often described through the lens of ageing, depopulation and distance to markets. Yet this narrative is incomplete. Despite their many challenges, which are certainly pressing and accentuating amid climate urgency and technological disruptions, rural communities are also demonstrating remarkable ingenuity in developing solutions in public service delivery, renewable energy, agriculture, including through social enterprises. As emphasised in OECD Reinforcing Rural Resilience (2025), these are not marginal activities but essential drivers of wellbeing and competitiveness.

Rural innovation is a strategic asset for building more resilient and future-oriented economies. This report illustrates how innovation takes shape in rural contexts and offers lessons for designing policies that make innovation systems more effective. Drawing on a global survey of 23 OECD countries, three thematic reports (on measuring rural innovation, urban-rural linkages and the future of rural manufacturing) and five in-depth rural innovation reviews (Canada, Japan, Scotland in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the United States) and other country examples, this report provides a timely and comprehensive evidence base on innovation processes in rural areas.

Assessment: The case for rural innovation and adapted policy priorities

Why innovation is important for rural regions

Global trends and transformations are particularly affecting rural places. These regions are already facing structural transformations brought by the digital transition and environmental considerations, continued urbanisation, and reconfigurations in global production systems. Pervasive trends like ageing and demographic change are particularly accentuated in rural regions: more than 40% of remote regions in the OECD shrank in population between 2001 and 2021 (OECD, 2023[1]).These shifts and shocks influence how people in rural societies work, produce and consume, and will continue to do so for years to come. With falling populations and, by extension, smaller workforces, innovation that overcomes labour shortages and achieves efficiencies in rural production will be critical to maintaining well-being standards.

As global transformations accelerate, rural regions are also emerging as untapped sources of growth and adaptation. Despite lower economic and productivity growth than their urban counterparts (with GDP growth 17 percentage points lower over the period 2001-2021), rural regions are showing signs of entrepreneurial vitality, adaptability for economic renewal, and industrial reinvention, as documented in Reinforcing Rural Resilience (OECD, 2025[2]). Yet, the full potential of rural regions to contribute to and shape the ongoing digital and economic transitions remains largely untapped.

Rural innovation is a cornerstone of rural transformation, enabling regions to identify and develop their unique competitive advantages. Innovation provides the mechanism through which rural communities can transform existing capabilities such as agricultural expertise, natural resource management, or cultural assets into high-value economic activities. The process often hinges on harnessing local knowledge for the entrepreneurial discovery of new opportunities, encouraging experimentation, and supporting the scaling of grassroots initiatives (e.g. smart specialisation in the EU).

Rural innovation is not merely a scaled-down version of urban innovation but qualitatively different. With patenting rates at approximately one-sixth of those in metropolitan regions, rural innovation across the OECD is driven less by formal R&D and more by adaptive capacity, the creative use of technology and the reorganisation of existing resources. Innovation is not confined to laboratories or technology centres but embedded in local problem-solving and civic co-operation. Rural producers and institutions innovate through incremental process improvements, including to address challenges in public service delivery, and community-based solutions. For example, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (in Scotland, United Kingdom) supports community-based solutions and social enterprises delivering childcare and health services to fill critical gaps in public service provision.

Technology and artificial intelligence are valuable opportunities for rural regions

Technology adoption offers transformative economic and social opportunities for rural regions. It can enhance productivity, expand market access and improve quality of life in regions lacking the benefits of agglomeration and often characterised by remoteness from major markets and a narrow economic base.

• Rural production: emerging technologies such as 3D printing, artificial intelligence and augmented and virtual reality can offset the disadvantages of rural distance by enabling local production, fostering collaboration, and introducing new business models and forms of service delivery.

• Access to markets: advances in digital tools enable rural firms to participate in global markets, secure financing and attract talent. Virtual work is an opportunity for talent mobility: though remote work is still lower in rural areas than in cities, the rates in European rural regions more than doubled since 2019 (Özgüzel, Luca and Wei, 2023[3]). Moreover, innovations in transport and logistics, such as autonomous vehicles and drone-based deliveries, lower trade costs and help rural areas overcome geographic and infrastructure constraints. Japan’s effort to roll out level 4 (high automation) self-driving vehicles to revitalise ageing rural communities is one example.

• Access to services: improved accessibility through remote education, telemedicine, solutions tailored to rural populations (e.g. Artificial intelligence (AI)-fuelled personalised insurance in rural areas), and greater access to information directly contributes to rural wellbeing.

Technology is not merely a means to achieve efficiencies in production but is also a tool for addressing service gaps and labour shortages. Policymakers can view technology and digital infrastructure as a public good: essential for productivity, service access and civic participation. But there is a more fundamental role: technology can reduce reliance on scarce labour. While AI and automation are often viewed as threats of job losses and social disruption, in rural places they can be part of the solution: enhancing productivity and resilience in a context where almost half of rural regions across the OECD are already shrinking in population.1 While rural economies continue to underperform compared with urban ones in overall GDP growth, they display stronger resilience in terms of GDP per capita growth, converging to national averages in 16 countries and in some cases outpacing cities (OECD, 2025[2]).2 This suggests that rural economies are becoming more capital and technology-intensive, leading to efficiency and productivity gains that help overcome persistent skills shortages and maintain living standards.

Barriers to rural innovation

Limited access to services, skills and broadband are bottlenecks for rural innovation. Wide access to public services, digital infrastructure and finance is an essential precondition for any innovation system. In a survey across OECD countries to identify the main obstacles hindering innovation in rural regions, the most frequently cited barriers were access to public services, which includes physical and digital infrastructure (33%), followed by skills (30%). Limited finance (11%) and lack of business support (10%) also were reported. In addition to these factors, digital infrastructure remains a structural constraint. Despite improvements in broadband coverage, important gaps persist in connectivity and download speeds between rural and urban regions in OECD countries. Despite rapid advancements, people living in rural areas still have lower-quality Internet compared to cities in OECD countries. On average, user-experienced broadband download speeds (a measure of Internet quality) are 13% faster than the national average across cities, while in rural areas, it is 22% slower. Rural remote regions continue to record the lowest median download speeds. All this limits the adoption of technology and innovation.

Six policy areas to activate rural innovators

Taking stock of five country case studies and three thematic reports this publication identifies a policy toolkit with six pillars to activate and support innovation in rural regions. The pillars are not mutually exclusive and should be applied together to ensure a holistic approach to support rural innovation.

Pillar 1: Establish the preconditions for innovation

Addressing the bottlenecks is a necessary pre-condition for fostering innovation in rural regions. Without adequate access to services, skills, finance, and digital connectivity, rural areas face structural barriers that limit their ability to absorb and generate new ideas. The development of skills is a key enabler that often involves joint efforts by national and local authorities. In Switzerland’s Regional Innovation Systems (RIS), skills development initiatives involve multilevel governance arrangements: cantons and regional innovation system units pitch skill development strategies to the federal agency, offering insight into the specific skills opportunities and demands in the regions.

Access to high-quality and affordable broadband is a precondition for rural innovation. Reliable digital connectivity enables firms, entrepreneurs, and public institutions to adopt new technologies, access markets, and collaborate across regions. Expanding broadband coverage and affordability in rural areas remains a priority in the United States, with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) supporting a range of initiatives across all levels of government to improve access and close connectivity gaps.

Pillar 2: Design for rural innovators

Given the different conditions for innovation in rural areas relative to metropolitan areas, policies need to fit rural demographics and firms. Innovation policies for rural need to consider their ageing populations, limited workforce, and small-scale enterprises. Innovation vouchers, simplified grants, and succession planning programmes can address rural business realities, with the presence primarily of small, family-run enterprises with strong community ties and limited administrative capacity. Targeted initiatives for specific innovators in regional and rural innovation strategies (e.g. Canada’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy) can boost entrepreneurship more widely among all rural residents. Early engagement with youth-oriented schemes can counter outmigration and foster the next generation of innovators.

Access to rural data can help firms identify opportunities and help public authorities plan policies. Wide public access to data improves outcomes in any policy area. But rural authorities and entrepreneurs often face more limited access to data platforms as well as data that is less specific for their needs. Rural entrepreneurs are more likely to innovate if they have readily access to information on markets, funding and potential partners. Access to market can be improved with single online portals, rural observatories and dashboards. The rural lens to data can be improved by developing data and measurements that capture rural trends and performance, which is also relevant for evaluating policies in Pillar 6.

Pillar 3: Build networks and linkages

Building networks and linkages can help support economies of scale and scope. This involves policies to stimulate rural innovation by firms and entrepreneurs as well as promote collaboration, networks and knowledge exchanges to build economies of scale and scope. Country experiences indicate that rural innovation usually emerges from strong local ecosystems connecting entrepreneurs, public authorities, whole communities, and even other adjacent regions. Transformational cases such as Go Forward Pine Bluff in the United States or Fogo Island’s Shorefast Foundation in Canada rewire local economies by strengthening local collaboration and expanding connections with wider markets and sources of funding

Social, institutional, and technological connectivity is the lifeblood of rural innovation. Successful places across the country case studies invest in intermediaries and coalitions that connect firms to knowledge and markets. Building functional networks with wide-ranging innovation partners (e.g. universities, foreign investors), levels of government and urban centres enables scale and knowledge exchange. Direct matching services or one-stop shops can enhance connections with innovation partners and academic institutions playing a bridging role (e.g. Scotland’s Interface). Quebec’s Community College Technology Transfer Institutes exemplify how rural firms can access knowledge without relocating. Innovation intermediaries (e.g. rural hubs, innovation brokers) can connect local entrepreneurs to global networks. The five countries have introduced initiatives for rural development that go beyond administrative boundaries to foster regional alliances for project coalitions and access to funding. Also the EU LEADER programme promotes area-based Local Action Groups spanning public, private and civil sectors.

Pillar 4: Experiment for local solutions

Policies can facilitate experimentation by local firms and stakeholders. Public authorities are looking to innovate how they engage and support rural entrepreneurs. Successful local ecosystems across the country case studies institutionalise experimentation and feedback so that businesses and local entrepreneurs can scale viable pilots. Living labs are structured spaces to co-design and trial solutions locally, including in areas like health care delivery, e-gov solutions and territorial services. In Switzerland, there are also sector-specific labs. Regulatory sandboxes can then be temporarily applied to test new models with the benefit of policy guidance. Public-sector innovation and government-led experimentation also contribute to better service delivery. Japan explicitly supports public-sector innovation with examples like Yamagata Rural Planner.

Local solutions require innovation beyond the fields of science and technology, also including social and public sector innovation. Rural areas benefit the most from innovations in public service delivery that address challenges of remoteness and lack of scale. Enabling social entrepreneurs and communities to contribute to service provision not only benefits local communities directly by improving access and quality; it paves the way for other entrepreneurs to come in as these places become more attractive. An emerging message from the country studies is that governments need to recognise social enterprises and other members of the social economy as key innovation players, granting them access to funding and facilities as is done for high-tech firms. Social innovations may also require more regulatory flexibility, including for public-private partnerships. Scotland’s Highlands and Islands Enterprise is an example of comprehensive support for social innovation.

Pillar 5: Facilitate with simplified and coordinated support

Simplified governance and service delivery boosts business creation. Fragmented governance remains a major bottleneck, with rural innovators often facing a maze of overlapping programmes spread across ministries and levels of government. This challenge is true for all innovators, but it is a compounding problem in rural areas. Governments can consider "one-stop shops" to facilitate service access for rural innovators. Examples include Scotland’s Find Business Support and Canada’s BizPal, which provide a central platform for accessing permits and licenses. The United States and Japan offer capacity building technical assistance in small municipalities to apply for competitive funds or enable joint bids, putting emphasis on competition.

Coordination across levels of government and policy programmes also simplifies support. Horizontal coordination to bring together skills training, finance, and market access policies across departments can also maximise impact. The Quebec model, which combines community colleges, finance roundtables, and regional trade promotion, illustrates integrated delivery that reaches even remote areas. Some enabling policies that help service access or experimentation often benefit from central government support and multilevel governance. Canada Business Benefits Finder is an example of a simplification model. Local authorities can complement with tailored add-on solutions such as local one-stop front desks (e.g. libraries, hubs) tied to national portals. Switzerland’s Regional Innovation Systems (RIS) under the New Regional Policy offer lessons for structuring national-subnational (federal–cantonal in the Swiss case) platforms that organise advisory, finance and networking.

Pillar 6: Measure and learn with wide rural data access

A ‘rural lens’ to policy incorporates detailed rural data to different policy processes. This includes to funding formulas, delivery models and evaluation frameworks, which helps make national innovation policies more usable and effective in low-density contexts. It helps governments design instruments that are adaptable, and responsive to rural realities. The country studies confirm the need for broader forms of support to foster innovation systems that are responsive to rural realities, underpinned by measurement frameworks and platforms that disseminate data on social, organisational, and process innovations beyond conventional R&D metrics (e.g. EU rural observatory).

Governance can also incorporate regular policy evaluation to learn and adapt actions to local contexts. This includes developing metrics to monitor and evaluate policies and outcomes in the context of rural realities, measuring rural economic, social and environmental trends at more detailed levels of granularity than existing national statistics. These evaluations can then help adapt policy action over time to enhance effectiveness.

Policy instruments to implement the policy pillars

The array of policy instruments to implement the policy pillars is wide-ranging. It includes financial incentives to businesses, direct government investments, training, coaching and advice, and regulatory support (Table 1.1 offers a selection of common interventions). Some initiatives can contribute to more than one pillar: for instance, the United States and Canada facilitate finance instruments that are adapted to rural businesses, including vouchers and light-touch grants (Pillar 2: Design for rural innovators) along with local advisory support (Pillar 5: Facilitate with simplified and coordinated support). The policy instruments are often tailored to the nature of rural places, whether close to cities or completely remote. Initiatives like one-stop shops facilitate rural entrepreneurship in all types of rural places. However, rural remote areas need some foundational investments first (e.g. access to broadband) to enhance the innovation ecosystem.

Unique country policy approaches also offer lessons, such as for social enterprise. For instance, Scotland (United Kingdom) is the only one of the five cases that explicitly elevates social enterprise support as a core innovation instrument (not just as a community actor), detailing operationally agency mandates and delivery, including work with Social Enterprise Scotland and the Social Enterprise Academy. This is a distinct policy approach that can be transferable to other countries (funding, advisory and procurement access for social enterprises as innovation actors).

Table 1.1. Prevalent policy tools: actions commonly used across countries (non-exhaustive list)

Policy Pillar	Examples of used policy instruments	Canada	Japan	Scotland (UK)	Switzerland	United States
Establish the preconditions for innovation	Distributed training opportunities (e.g. via university networks)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
	Improving access to quality and affordable broadband	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Design for rural innovators	Demographic inclusion programmes (women, youth, indigenous)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
	Simple, SME-friendly finance & vouchers	✓				✓
Build networks & linkages	Brokerage links to universities and research institutions	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
	Rural–urban and cross-municipal coalitions to scale projects		✓		✓	✓
	Match-making services to create links with companies			✓	✓	✓
Experiment for local solutions	Living labs / real-world testbeds			✓	✓	✓
	Regulatory sandboxes (innovation)			✓	✓	✓
	Public-sector innovation & PPPs for service delivery		✓	✓	✓	✓
Facilitate with simplified and coordinated support	One-stop shops / single windows (permits, grants, advice)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
	Multi-level co-ordination / functional-area delivery	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
	Capacity-building for small municipalities		✓			✓
Measure and learn with wide rural data access	Digital portals / shared data	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

Recommendations: Roadmap and policy toolkit

High-level objectives and policy actions

The current effective use of policy instruments across the country case studies leads to a roadmap of recommendations across the pillars. The short list of policy instruments and initiatives identified from the case studies allowed structuring a set of goals for each of the six policy priority areas, which are used here as high-level recommendations for countries seeking to support and grow rural innovation. Table 1.2 structures recommendations by policy pillar and includes more detailed actions. All levels of government and communities play a role. For actions related to regulation, funding, infrastructure and data, national authorities tend to lead. Regional and local institutions tend to focus on delivery, brokerage and coordination. Private actors and whole communities can participate in experimentation and partnerships.

Figure 1.1. Six pillars of policy action for rural innovation

From recommendations to implementation: a policy checklist

The six policy pillars not only show what to support but how to sequence over time. The six pillars are the “what”, outlining the necessary principles for rural innovation policy. The associated recommendations indicate how to do it in rural contexts. Some recommendations can be sequenced over time, starting with establishing the preconditions for innovation. Each recommendation requires a series of specific policy actions to make rural innovation visible, viable and scalable. The policy checklist below shows how both national and local authorities can gradually prepare and put in place the enablers of rural innovation. Multi-level governance arrangements help coordinate joint efforts with common key performance indicators, data standards, pooled funds and interoperability of policy instruments (e.g. the Swiss Regional Innovation Systems approach).

Table 1.2. Policy toolkit and checklist

High-level recommendation	Policy instruments menu	Policy targets
Pillar 1: Establish the preconditions for innovation
Access to digital infrastructure	“Last-mile” broadband subsidy schemes Short-term digital bootcamps for rural residents (e.g. Tech hubs). Satellite-based internet solutions and mobile broadband towers Subsidies or tax incentives for private providers to deliver broadband to low-density areas	☐ Implement targets and milestones for universal broadband, transport, energy. ☐ Extend fibre coverage in growing peri-urban areas and remote areas. ☐ Integrate digital infrastructure planning into regional development strategies (align with new housing and industrial developments).
Access to skills	Dual-location apprenticeships (combining rural practical placements with urban classroom-based instruction). Wage subsidies and mentorship support for firms to host apprentices. Relocation and housing stipends for trainers and apprentices Mobile training labs	☐ Expand partnerships between rural schools and nearby urban employers to co-design vocational training pathways. ☐ Partner with local Indigenous organisations to co-create culturally appropriate vocational programmes (e.g. in tourism, land management).
Pillar 2: Design for Rural Innovators
Target policies for rural firms	Innovation vouchers Community finance vehicles (revolving micro-loans; guarantee top-ups) Export starter packs (e.g. brokered B2B, logistics support) Succession planning advice Small-firm support advice, with micro-accelerators tied to local niches Roundtables and mandated obligations to reach underserved rural firms.	☐ Develop diverse legal forms (e.g. social enterprise) that are eligible for grants and tax reliefs. ☐ Define open eligibility rules (for diverse types of businesses and social innovators). ☐ Tailor instruments and finance to the scale, age and structure of rural SMEs and family businesses.
Target policies for rural entrepreneurs	Dedicated entrepreneurship streams (women, youth, Indigenous) Wrap-around supports (childcare, transport stipends) Mentoring and micro-credential pathways with local employers	☐ Create inclusive and flexible pathways for learning and for minority entrepreneurs. ☐ Make outreach routine (e.g. mobile services and multi-use sites for sparse/remote areas). ☐ Ensure skills offer includes micro-credentials, digital basics, SME training.
Pillar 3: Build networks and linkages
Create public-private and innovation partnerships	Challenge prizes co-funded with industry Data-sharing MOUs (utilities, telcos) for local problem-solving Fund intermediaries (e.g. university-SME brokers, college tech centers, regional hubs/fab labs) University-SME brokerage contracts, college technology extensions for applied R&D MOUs with nearby universities for joint projects, interns and rapid prototyping.	☐ Co-design, finance and de-risk solutions (e.g., broadband, research facilities, attractions). ☐ Ensure knowledge brokers (e.g. interface units, tech-transfer colleges) are funded to link rural SMEs with universities/industry labs.
Build scale with regional alliances and entrepreneurial ecosystems	Regional challenge funds for multi-project coalitions Joint procurement / shared services across municipalities Community finance vehicles (e.g. revolving loans / guarantees)	☐ Build local area-based hubs (co-working, gab-labs) and shared services to concentrate support and create density ☐ Implement functional-area funding to supports joint bids across municipalities.
Strengthen urban-rural links	Regular forums to identify niches and value-chain partners. Urban–rural cluster initiatives (supply-chain and export consortia). Rural-urban compacts (shared services, hubs) and rural–urban cluster deals (e.g. supplier development, test facilities) Market access tools (export groups, tourism circuits)	☐ Market opportunity identified (e.g. for logistics, distributed manufacturing). ☐ Demand segments and production / supply chain partners identified. ☐ Implement rural-urban coalitions in place.
Connect to global markets	Regional trade promotion and brokerage to plug into value chains. Regular forums to identify niches and value-chain partners. Export starter packs (e.g. brokered B2B, logistics support) Logistics & market-access instruments (freight solutions, export starters)	☐ Identify market opportunity (e.g. for logistics, distributed manufacturing). ☐ Identify demand segments and production / supply chain partners. ☐ Create partnerships between SMEs and multinationals in place.
Pillar 4: Experiment for local solutions
Recognise and support social innovation	Social enterprise funds & vouchers Outcome-based procurement lots for service innovation Advisory consortia for social ventures (incubation / mentoring) Community innovation funds for service redesign (health, childcare, mobility, ageing)	☐ Broaden the definition on innovation and treat social enterprises and community groups as core innovators. ☐ Ensure local awards and procurement lots explicitly include social innovation, including outcome-based procurement to buy from rural providers (e.g. for service provision).
Structure open innovation for pressing challenges	Open calls / innovation challenges Problem-solving platforms	☐ Create platforms for individuals to work collaboratively on innovative new local solutions.
Build a culture for experimentation	Local living labs (e.g. remote care, telemedicine, agri-automation, circular economy). Regulatory sandboxes. Pilot waivers and experimentation clauses Grant-seeking and project delivery capacity for small municipalities	☐ Structure the opreration of local living labs. ☐ Create availability of regulatory sandboxes / testbeds (e.g. digital, fintech, agri-tech, mobility, health) outside metro areas.
Pillar 5: Facilitate with simplified and coordinated support
Simplify access to services	One-stop “single window” for permits, grants, advice Digital service co-location (virtual clinics, remote learning, e-advice). Mobile delivery (roving advisors, pop-up skills) Multi-use sites (hub combining childcare, skills, incubation, public services) Fast-track local licensing for pilots and seasonal activity, with clear risk management.	☐ Provide one-stop shops and bottom-up platforms (e.g. for licences, advice, etc.) ☐ Ensure access to local finance navigation (loan clinics, guarantee uptake, investor days). ☐ Provide national platforms for mentoring, export consortia and co-operative purchasing / logistics. ☐ Ensure grant design is SME-friendly (short forms, rolling calls, multi-year flexible funding).
Coordinate policy packages	Place-based “front desks” (e.g. in libraries / hubs) that inform on all national and regional schemes. Multi-level compacts (skills-finance-trade aligned offers) Pooled budgets and shared KPIs across ministries and agencies	☐ Ensure horizontal co-ordination for harmonized access to skills, finance, and global markets. ☐ Provide single “front door”: one-stop advisors for all programmes. ☐ Cross-ministry compacts align skills, finance, trade and infrastructure
Pillar 6: Measure and learn with wide rural data access
Improve access to information in rural areas	Single online portal + local front desks Tools for easy and inclusive access to civic participation Rural observatory / dashboards, with rural-proofed data and classifications	☐ Enhance data and measurements to capture rural trends and performance for policy monitoring purposes. ☐ Use improved rural data and statistics (e.g. at functional area level) to inform funding formulas.
Set up monitoring and evaluation	Rural impact assessments, e.g. of initiatives for indigenous innovation Use anticipatory governance (e.g. foresight, rural observatories, scenario drills) Participatory M&E dashboards for service access, business outcomes and inclusion. Close the loop (e.g. publish lessons, update rules/programmes).	☐ Build municipal capacity in monitoring of innovation-related programmes. ☐ Develop foresight capabilities to track trends (e.g. on ageing, automation, climate) and feed rapid policy iteration. ☐ Define multidimensional key performance indicators, including on service/process innovation outcomes, to monitor wide economic and social outcomes and adapt policies accordingly.

References

[2] OECD (2025), Reinforcing Rural Resilience, OECD Rural Studies, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/7cd485e3-en.

[1] OECD (2023), OECD Regional Outlook 2023: The Longstanding Geography of Inequalities, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/92cd40a0-en.

[3] Özgüzel, C., D. Luca and Z. Wei (2023), “The new geography of remote jobs? Evidence from Europe”, OECD Regional Development Papers, No. 57, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/29f94cd0-en.

Notes

← 1.  In 11 OECD countries, rural populations overall are already decreasing (OECD 2025, Reinforcing Rural Resilience). Granular data by type of rural place shows that 47% of remote rural regions are already shrinking and 43% of close the small and medium cities.

← 2.  In 3 OECD countries, rural GDP outpaced that of metro areas (2001–2021). In 11 OECD countries, over 50% of rural regions beat national GDP per capita growth (with rural areas near cities showing the highest growth). In 16 OECD countries, rural regions are converging to national GDP per capita averages – i.e. outpacing metro areas in GDP per capita growth to close the gap.