During the second half of the twentieth century, the rural world has undergone profound changes on many levels. All these changes were not made anywhere in the same way or with the same intensity. There were 282 small rural communities in Atlantic Canada identified in the national census of 2011, they have been particularly affected by these changes. Already vulnerable because of their demographic weakness, many of these communities are also struggling with the weakening of their socio-economic situation. The objective of this paper is twofold. It consists, first, to characterize the fragility of the small rural communities of the Atlantic region and to determine why they are the category of rural areas most likely to suffer from instability. In terms of methodology, research results will be analyzed over a period of thirty years considering four structural dimensions of fragility: population structure, demography, economy and income levels. The results suggest a worrying deterioration in the socio-economic situation of small rural communities in the Atlantic region requiring the implementation of a strong rural development policy oriented not only to the recovery of their population and their economy, but also towards reducing poverty.