Rural Pact Community Pulse highlights priorities for rural attractiveness across Europe

What matters most for rural attractiveness?

When asked about the factors that matter most for making rural areas attractive, respondents most frequently highlighted employment and business opportunities (over half of respondents), followed by transport, health and care, housing, and social cohesion.

Access to services and infrastructure emerged as the most urgent area requiring improvement to strengthen rural attractiveness, selected by around 72% of respondents (see chart on the right). Economic opportunities – including jobs, businesses, innovation and entrepreneurship – followed at 58%. Note that respondents could select more than one answer.

While these priorities were shared across Europe, the results also point to some regional differences. In Northern Europe, respondents strongly prioritised access to services and infrastructure (95%) and economic opportunities (81%). In Central Europe, comparatively greater emphasis was placed on community life, culture and leisure (40%) alongside services and economic opportunities. In Eastern Europe, economic opportunities (65%) slightly outweighed access to services and infrastructure (62%), while community life, culture and leisure also received relatively strong attention (38%). Southern European respondents also gave comparatively greater attention to environment and climate resilience than those in Northern and Eastern Europe, alongside strong focus on services and economic opportunities.

What actions are needed to strengthen rural attractiveness?

Respondents also identified actions considered important for enhancing rural attractiveness. Improving access to services such as healthcare, education, transport and digital connectivity was the most frequently selected action, chosen by over half of respondents (54% – here too, respondents could select more than one answer). This reflects the wider prominence of access to services throughout the poll results.

Other priorities included increasing funding dedicated to rural areas (38%), building capacities for local actors and communities (36%), investing in economic diversification and local businesses (29%), and better integrating and coordinating of public funding across programmes and sources (22%).

Links to broader discussions on rural attractiveness and ‘right to stay’

This snapshot broadly reflects recent OECD insights highlighted through the Rural Pact, which stress that attracting and retaining people in rural areas depends on a combination of factors, including economic opportunities, services, housing, connectivity and quality of life. The OECD underlines the importance of comprehensive, place-based approaches tailored to local needs and assets to support competitiveness, resilience and long-term prosperity in rural regions.

Examples highlighted through the Rural Pact also point to the importance of integrated and long-term approaches. In Spain, Castilla-La Mancha has combined measures linked to public services, connectivity, economic activity and incentives for settlement in an effort to address demographic decline in depopulated rural areas. In Ireland, an OECD review highlighted the importance of coordinated, place-based rural policies to address challenges linked to housing, transport, access to services and demographic change, while supporting the long-term attractiveness and resilience of rural regions.

In the EU, the attractiveness of territories is high on the political agenda. In this context, the European Commission recently launched the ‘right to stay’ initiative, aimed at addressing territorial inequalities and supporting regions facing challenges such as depopulation, ageing populations and limited access to opportunities and essential services. The related public consultation (deadline: 5 June) invites citizens and stakeholders to share experiences and practical solutions that can help strengthen the attractiveness and resilience of Europe’s regions and territories. 

Explore Rural Pact knowledge and resources

The Rural Pact offers a wide range of knowledge and resources linked to many of the priorities highlighted through the poll, including rural attractiveness, access to services, economic opportunities and place-based development. Stakeholders can explore practical examples, policy reflections and peer-learning materials from across Europe through the Rural Pact platform.

Place-based approaches and territorial governance

Discover resources exploring integrated and place-based approaches to rural development, including: