Since July 2004 an official definition of rural areas has been in place for England and Wales. This definition, based on population density, was developed to provide a framework for statistical analysis and reporting. 

It's been used across Government (and beyond) to assess the condition of, and monitor changes in, rural England, and to generate evidence to inform the development of policies to meet the needs of rural communities.

This summary document introduces the definition, describes how it was created, and the identifies some of the benefits of using it.

To see how the definition has been applied, please see our recently published State of the Countryside 2007 report.

For further information, please visit the Office for National Statistics website