The scientific problem of this research is to overcome the lack of knowledge about the complex multi-component risks of sustainable development of rural areas of different origins, and the mechanisms of their levelling. The purpose of the study is to develop methods for diagnosing risks to identify links between the current state of resources for sustainable development of rural areas and the tasks planned to be achieved. The study offers an analytical toolkit for comparative studies of rural development practices and also opens up broad empirical opportunities for cross-regional comparisons, typology of rural areas according to the level of sustainable development risks based on the proposed methodology and the development of appropriate management measures. The research methodology is interdisciplinary. The main methodological construction is the spatial approach, which involves the study of the spatio-temporal dynamics of various phenomena of social and economic life. The paradigm of sustainable development and its new hybrid models (green and blue economy, low-carbon, circular economy) are used as a framework for identifying the main groups of risks for sustainable development of rural areas, taking into account social, economic and environmental components. The developed methodology for assessing the risks of sustainable development of rural areas consists of constructing estimates of private risks using normalized values of the initial indicators and, on that basis, determining the consolidated risk. For the managerial and economic practice, the relevance of this study is due to the urgent need to find effective models for the development of rural areas, which, despite the variety of institutional practices, as well as consistent design of rural development in different countries, do not have sustainable socio-economic results.