Risk individualisation is increasingly apparent in policy and practice discourses on social exclusion. For older people who live in rural communities, potentially compounding risk factors associated with social exclusion emerge from the intersection of ageing and rurality. When linked to the diversity of individuals, rural settings, and national jurisdictions, this raises intriguing questions concerning how rural communities perceive and manage related risk. The article draws on comparable data from Australia, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to explore rural community stakeholders’ perceptions of the construction of, and responsibility for, risk of old‐age social exclusion. Data derive from interviews and focus groups with 84 stakeholders from 13 settings across the three jurisdictions. Analysis illustrates an almost universal narrative around the individualisation of risk of old‐age social exclusion, where rural communities serve a role in risk mitigation more than construction. The narrative's policy, sociocultural and contextual drivers, together with its implications, are discussed with reference to the contrasting national contexts.