This paper is one output of the 2017 to 2020 Nordic Thematic Group for Sustainable Rural Development. The purpose of this project is to provide policy makers at the national, regional, and municipal levels an idea of what the size, composition, and geographic distribution of the rural populations in the Nordic countries might look like in 2040. It does this by compiling the population projections done by the national statistical offices of the Nordic countries to examine the size, regional concentration, age distribution, and other characteristics of the rural populations in the Nordic countries in the future. The future size of the both the urban and rural populations are examined to provide context for the expected population trends in rural areas.