Drawing on the Young Lives study of childhood poverty in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam, this brief explores different dimensions of rural girls' growth, learning and development over childhood and adolescence. Despite gains in recent years, many rural girls are growing up in challenging circumstances with lasting consequences for their nutrition, learning, and well-being. Social protection, investment in rural schools, support for water, sanitation and nutrition, and support to address rural girls' heavy workloads and to delay marriage are priority interventions if the Sustainable Development Goals are to be achieved and rural girls and yougn women are to fulfil their potential.