State of the Countryside
Overview
The State of the Countryside reports and updates provide a broad picture of social, economic and environmental conditions and change across rural England.
They aim to raise the profile of rural issues, to develop understanding of the rural dimension and to generate and influence debate about the challenges and choices ahead.
The reports and updates are one of the key ways in which we deliver our watchdog responsibilities.
State of the Countryside 2008
State of the Countryside 2008 highlights a rise in households living in poverty in rural England and a growing inequality between remote rural areas and other parts of the countryside.
The report also looks forward to what the future might hold for rural communities and reflects on what aspects have remained important since the first report was published in 1999.
Find out more about the 2008 report
State of the Countryside Data area
State of the Countryside Updates
In addition to the broad reports, we also produce a number of focused State of the Countryside Updates - which look at a specific issue or dataset from a rural perspective.