Nearly 100 million Europeans live in rural areas.

Omissions

• The precise figure depends heavily on the definition of 'rural': the Commission's long-term vision (137 million, ~30%) uses all communes/municipalities, whereas Eurostat's LAU-based degree of urbanisation (24.5% in 2024) yields about 110 million.
• The headline Commission figure of 137 million dates from 2021 and is therefore more than two years old relative to the 2026 session; the more recent Eurostat 2024 data point to roughly 110 million.
• Both official metrics exceed 100 million, so the claim's 'nearly 100 million' understates the rural population rather than overstating it.
• No source was found that states a rural population of 'nearly 100 million' for the EU, so the claimed magnitude does not appear explicitly in any source.

Sources

• PrimaryEurostat — Urban-rural Europe: introduction (Statistics Explained)An analysis of the population distribution by degree of urbanisation at the LAU level reveals that, in 2024, 38.5% of the EU population lived in a city, with lower shares living in towns and suburbs (37.0%) and in rural areas (24.5%).
• PrimaryEuropean Commission — Communication 'A long-term Vision for the EU's Rural Areas' (EUR-Lex CELEX 52021DC0345)They are home to 137 million people representing almost 30% of its population and over 80% of its territory, considering all communes and municipalities.
• PrimaryEuropean Commission — Rural Vision portal30% of the EU population live in EU's rural areas ... EU's rural areas are home to 137 million people ... EU's rural areas cover 83% of the EU territory.