Rural land area (sq. km)

Definition

Rural land area in square kilometers, derived from urban extent grids which distinguish urban and rural areas based on a combination of population counts (persons), settlement points, and the presence of Nighttime Lights. Areas are defined as urban where contiguous lighted cells from the Nighttime Lights or approximated urban extents based on buffered settlement points for which the total population is greater than 5,000 persons.

Methodology for Agriculture indicators

Agricultural indicators are compiled by the FAO and national agriculture ministries. Many are reported as percentages (share of land, share of GDP, share of employment) so per-capita normalization is rarely needed. Weather-driven variability means single-year readings can be misleading — a 5-year rolling average is often more meaningful than a single point.

How to interpret

• Always check the unit and reporting year before comparing values across countries.
• NULL or "Not available" means the World Bank did not publish a value — we never estimate.
• Year-over-year changes can be driven by methodology updates, not just real economic shifts.