Rural Facts and Figures

Obtaining accurate and helpful information about rural UK is not that easy. Until recently different government departments provided conflicting statistical information but more recently rural communities have been redefined and now all use the same terms of reference. But for government purposes "rural" means any settlement up to 10,000. Our focus is on communities no larger than 5,000.

About 90% of the land mass of the UK is rural.
About 17% of the total population live in rural settlements no larger than 5,000.
This equates to one person in every six in the UK.
More than 10% of the UK population live in a community smaller than 1,000.
Rural communities vary from one another. Factors that make them distinct include, size, shape, proximity to larger towns or cities, and their social and economic history, and general location.
Some villages have an agricultural character, but others might be defined as industrial, tourist, fishing, or dormitory villages.
Villages today are usually a complex mix of different people groups, often with distinct cultural characteristics and values. Some of these are expressed in significant local networks.
The attractiveness of living in rural areas and the high level of personal mobility has led to an exodus from towns and cities into rural areas. This has inflated property prices making it difficult for the children of indigenous villagers to get on the housing ladder.
Suburbanisation of rural communities is a major social factor. It has also contributed to the demise of local facilities such as shops, transport, etc.
Most rural communities will have at least one church within it.
In Rural England 63% of the churches are Church of England, 26% are Methodist, 5% are Baptist with the remainder made up of various denominations but mainly either Independent/Congregational or Catholic churches.
The limits of scale, multi-cultural nature, and strong social norms in rural communities are major factors that affect the nature and mission of rural churches.