Map of Rwanda | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: In 1959 three years before independence from Belgium the majority ethnic group the Hutus overthrew the ruling Tutsi king. Over the next several years thousands of Tutsis were killed and some 150,000 driven into exile in neighboring countries. The children of these exiles later formed a rebel group the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and began a civil war in 1990. The war along with several political and economic upheavals exacerbated ethnic tensions culminating in April 1994 in a state-orchestrated genocide in which Rwandans killed up to a million of their fellow citizens including approximately three-quarters of the Tutsi population. The genocide ended later that same year when the predominantly Tutsi RPF operating out of Uganda and northern Rwanda defeated the national army and Hutu militias and established an RPF-led government of national unity. Approximately 2 million Hutu refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to neighboring Burundi Tanzania Uganda and former Zaire. Since then most of the refugees have returned to Rwanda but several thousand remained in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC the former Zaire) and formed an extremist insurgency bent on retaking Rwanda much as the RPF did in 1990. Rwanda held its first local elections in 1999 and its first post-genocide presidential and legislative elections in 2003. Rwanda in 2009 staged a joint military operation with the Congolese Army in DRC to rout out the Hutu extremist insurgency there and Kigali and Kinshasa restored diplomatic relations. Rwanda also joined the Commonwealth in late 2009. In January 2013 Rwanda assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2013-14 term.


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Location: Central Africa east of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Geographic coordinates: 2 00 S 30 00 E

Map reference

Area
Rank: 149
Land: 24,668 km²
Water: 1670 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries
Border countries: (4) Burundi 290 km; Democratic Republic of the Congo 217 km; Tanzania 217 km; Uganda 169 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible

Terrain: mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east

Elevation
Extremes highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m

Natural resources: gold cassiterite (tin ore) wolframite (tungsten ore) methane hydropower arable land

Land use
Permanent crops: 9.49%
Other: 44.19% (2011)

Irrigated land: 96.25 km² (2007)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 9.5 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo
Volcanism: Visoke (elev. 3,711 m) located on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the country's only historically active volcano

Geography
Note: landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with the population predominantly rural


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Population: 12,337,138
Rank: 74
Growth rate: 2.63% (2014 est.)
Growth rate rank: 23
Below poverty line: 44.9% (2011 est.)

Nationality
Adjective: Rwandan

Ethnic groups: Hutu (Bantu) 84% Tutsi (Hamitic) 15% Twa (Pygmy) 1%

Languages: Kinyarwanda only (official universal Bantu vernacular) 93.2% Kinyarwanda and other language(s) 6.2% French (official) and other language(s) 0.1% English (official) and other language(s) 0.1% Swahili (or Kiswahili used in commercial centers) 0.02% other 0.03% unspecified 0.3% (2002 est.)

Religions: Roman Catholic 49.5% Protestant 39.4% (includes Adventist 12.2% and other Protestant 27.2%) other Christian 4.5% Muslim 1.8% animist 0.1% other 0.6% none 3.6% (2001) unspecified 0.5% (2002 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
15-24 years: 18.9% (male 1,166,258/female 1,167,934)
25-54 years: 32.5% (male 2,010,034/female 1,994,582)
55-64 years: 4% (male 229,759/female 267,430)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 125,862/female 182,378) (2014 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 75.8 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 4.4 %
Potential support ratio: 22.8 (2014 est.)

Median age
Male: 18.4 years
Female: 18.9 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.63% (2014 est.)
Rank: 23

Birth rate: 34.61 births/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 28

Death rate: 9.18 deaths/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 63

Net migration rate: 0.9 migrant(s)/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 63

Population distribution

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 4.5% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: KIGALI (capital) 1.004 million (2011)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 22.9

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 23
Male: 63.11 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 55.96 deaths/1000 live births (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 197
Male: 57.73 years
Female: 60.83 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.62 children born/woman (2014 est.)
Rank: 27

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 51.6% (2010/11)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.06 physicians/1000 population (2010)

Hospital bed density: 1.6 beds/1000 population (2007)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 2.9% (2012 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 22
People living with hivaids: 206,900 (2012 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 30
Deaths: 5,600 (2012 est.)
Deaths rank: 34

Major infectious diseases
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
Animal contact disease: rabies (2013)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 4.3% (2008)
Rank: 170

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 11.7% (2011)
Rank: 63

Education expenditures: 5.1% of GDP (2013)
Rank: 73

Literacy
Total population: 71.1%
Male: 74.8%
Female: 67.5% (2010 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Male: 10 years
Female: 10 years (2012)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional short form: Rwanda
Local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda
Local short form: Rwanda
Former: Ruanda German East Africa

Government type: republic; presidential multiparty system

Capital
Geographic coordinates: 1 57 S 30 03 E
Time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 4 provinces (in French - provinces singular - province; in Kinyarwanda - intara for singular and plural) and 1 city* (in French - ville; in Kinyarwanda - umujyi); Est (Eastern) Kigali* Nord (Northern) Ouest (Western) Sud (Southern)

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday: Independence Day 1 July (1962)

Constitution: several previous; latest adopted by referendum 26 May 2003 effective 4 June 2003; amended several times last in 2010 (2013)

Legal system: mixed legal system of civil law based on German and Belgian models and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Head of government: Prime Minister Pierre Damien HABUMUREMYI (since 7 October 2011)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 9 August 2010 (next to be held in 2017)
Election results: Paul KAGAME re-elected president; Paul KAGAME 93.1% Jean NTAWUKURIRYAYO 5.1% Prosper HIGIRO 1.4% Alvera MUKABARAMBA 0.4%

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of Senate (26 seats; 12 members elected by local councils 8 appointed by the president 4 appointed by the Political Organizations Forum 2 represent institutions of higher learning; members to serve eight-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies (80 seats; 53 members elected by popular vote 24 women elected by local bodies 3 selected by youth and disability organizations; members to serve five-year terms)
Elections: Senate - NA; Chamber of Deputies - last held on 15 September 2008 (next to be held on 16-18 September 2013)
Election results: percent of vote by party - RPF 78.8% PSD 13.1% PL 7.5%; seats by party - RPF 42 PSD 7 PL 4 additional 27 members indirectly elected

Judicial branch: note - the Gacaca Court was established in 2001 by the National Unity Government to try cases of genocide against the Tutsis
Judge selection and term of office: judges nominated by the president of the republic after consultation with the Cabinet and the Superior Council of the Judiciary (a 14-member body of judges other judicial officials and legal professionals) and approved by the Senate; court president and vice president appointed for 8-year nonrenewable terms; tenure of other judges NA
Subordinate courts: High Court of the Republic; commercial courts including the High Commercial Court; intermediate courts; primary courts; Gacaca and military specialized courts

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU C CEPGL COMESA EAC EADB FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA MINUSMA NAM OIF OPCW PCA UN UN Security Council (temporary) UNAMID UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNISFA UNMISS UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chancery: 1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW Washington DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 232-2,882
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 232-4,544
From the us embassy: 2,657 Avenue de la Gendarmerie Kigali
From the us mailing address: B. P. 28 Kigali
From the us telephone: [250] 596-400
From the us FAX: [250] 596-591

Flag description: three horizontal bands of sky blue (top double width) yellow and green with a golden sun with 24 rays near the fly end of the blue band; blue represents happiness and peace yellow economic development and mineral wealth green hope of prosperity and natural resources; the sun symbolizes unity as well as enlightenment and transparency from ignorance

National symbols

National anthem
Lyrics and music: Faustin MURIGO/Jean-Bosco HASHAKAIMANA

National heritage


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Economy overview: Rwanda is a poor rural country with about 90% of the population engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture and some mineral and agro-processing. Tourism minerals coffee and tea are Rwanda's main sources of foreign exchange. The 1994 genocide decimated Rwanda's fragile economic base severely impoverished the population particularly women and temporarily stalled the country's ability to attract private and external investment. However Rwanda has made substantial progress in stabilizing and rehabilitating its economy to pre-1994 levels. GDP has rebounded with an average annual growth of 7%-8% since 2003 and inflation has been reduced to single digits. Nonetheless a significant percent of the population still live below the official poverty line. Despite Rwanda's fertile ecosystem food production often does not keep pace with demand requiring food imports. Rwanda continues to receive substantial aid money and obtained IMF-World Bank Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative debt relief in 2005-06. In recognition of Rwanda's successful management of its macro economy in 2010 the IMF graduated Rwanda to a Policy Support Instrument (PSI). Rwanda also received a Millennium Challenge Threshold Program in 2008. Africa's most densely populated country is trying to overcome the limitations of its small landlocked economy by leveraging regional trade. Rwanda joined the East African Community and is aligning its budget trade and immigration policies with its regional partners. The government has embraced an expansionary fiscal policy to reduce poverty by improving education infrastructure and foreign and domestic investment and pursuing market-oriented reforms. Energy shortages instability in neighboring states and lack of adequate transportation linkages to other countries continue to handicap private sector growth. The Rwandan Government is seeking to become regional leader in information and communication technologies. In 2010 Rwanda neared completion of the first modern Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Kigali. The SEZ seeks to attract investment in all sectors but specifically in agribusiness information and communications technologies trade and logistics mining and construction. The global downturn hurt export demand and tourism but economic growth has recovered driven in large part by the services sector but inflation has grown. On the back of this growth government is gradually ending its fiscal stimulus policy while protecting aid to the poor.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 142

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 15

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 206

Gross national saving:
Rank: 123

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 9%
Investment in fixed capital: 21.2%
Investment in inventories: 0%
Exports of goods and services: 11.3%
Imports of goods and services: -29.7%: (2013 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 14.8%
Services: 53.3% (2013 est.)

Agriculture products: coffee tea pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums) bananas beans sorghum potatoes; livestock

Industries: cement agricultural products small-scale beverages soap furniture shoes plastic goods textiles cigarettes

Industrial production growth rate: 6% (2013 est.)
Rank: 43

Labor force: 4.446 million (2007)
Rank: 86
By occupation industry and services: 10% (2000)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 44.9% (2011 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Highest 10: 43.2% (2011 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index: 28.9 (1985)
Rank: 31

Budget
Expenditures: $2.146 billion (2013 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -4.3% of GDP (2013 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 155

Taxes and other revenues: 23.6% of GDP (2013 est.)
Rank: 139

Public debt: 21.7% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 130

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 6.3% (2012 est.)
Rank: 171

Central bank discount rate: 11.25% (31 December 2008)
Rank: 22

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 17.5% (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 25

Stock of narrow money: $671.2 million (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 153

Stock of broad money: $1.137 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 161

Stock of domestic credit: $557 million (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 160

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: -$569.2 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 110

Exports: $512 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 171
Commodities: coffee tea hides tin ore
Partners: Kenya 30.5% Democratic Republic of the Congo 12.2% China 12.1% Malaysia 10.7% US 5.8% Swaziland 4.9% (2012)

Imports: $1.871 billion (2012 est.)
Rank: 165
Commodities: foodstuffs machinery and equipment steel petroleum products cement and construction material
Partners: Kenya 17.3% Uganda 15.6% UAE 8.9% China 7.2% India 5.6% Tanzania 5% Belgium 4.5% Canada 4.1% (2012)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $847.8 million (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 128

Debt external: $1.153 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 148

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $743.3 million (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 103

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $12.9 million (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 91

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 280.2 million kWh (2010 est.)
Production rank: 176
Consumption: 319.6 million kWh (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 173
Exports: 3 million kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 91
Imports: 62 million kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 98
Installed generating capacity: 57,250 kW (2010 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 186
Generation sources fossil fuels: 52.4% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 150
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 170
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 47.2% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 46
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0.4% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 87

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 10 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 128
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 173
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 113
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2013 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 180

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 188
Products consumption: 5,245 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 166
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 211
Products imports: 5,302 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 148

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 184
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 188
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 173
Imports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 121
Proven reserves: 56.63 billion m³ (1 January 2013 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 64

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 865,100 Mt (2011 est.)

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 44,400 (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 167
Mobile cellular: 5.69 million (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 104

Telephone system
Domestic: the capital Kigali is connected to the centers of the provinces by microwave radio relay and recently by cellular telephone service; much of the network depends on wire and HF radiotelephone; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone density has increased and now exceeds 40 telephones per 100 persons
International: country code - 250; international connections employ microwave radio relay to neighboring countries and satellite communications to more distant countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) in Kigali (includes telex and telefax service) (2010)

Broadcast media: government owns and operates the only TV station; government-owned and operated Radio Rwanda has a national reach; 9 private radio stations; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available (2007)

Internet
Country code: .rw
Hosts: 1447 (2012)
Hosts rank: 168
Users: 450,000 (2009)
Users rank: 118

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 93

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; Rwandan citizenship is required as is a 9th grade education for enlisted recruits and an A-level certificate for officer candidates; enlistment is either as contract (5-years renewable twice) or career; retirement (for officers and senior NCOs) after 20 years of service or at 40-60 years of age (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 7 (2013)
Rank: 167
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways: 1 (2013)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Rank: 152
Paved: 1207 km
Unpaved: 3,493 km (2012)

Waterways: (Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft) (2011)

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: Burundi and Rwanda dispute two km² (0.8 sq mi) of Sabanerwa a farmed area in the Rukurazi Valley where the Akanyaru/Kanyaru River shifted its course southward after heavy rains in 1965; fighting among ethnic groups - loosely associated political rebels armed gangs and various government forces in Great Lakes region transcending the boundaries of Burundi Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC) Rwanda and Uganda - abated substantially from a decade ago due largely to UN peacekeeping international mediation and efforts by local governments to create civil societies; nonetheless 57,000 Rwandan refugees still reside in 21 African states including Zambia Gabon and 20,000 who fled to Burundi in 2005 and 2006 to escape drought and recriminations from traditional courts investigating the 1994 massacres; the 2005 DROC and Rwanda border verification mechanism to stem rebel actions on both sides

Refugees and internally displaced persons
IDPs: undetermined (fighting between government and insurgency in 1998-99; returning refugees) (2012)

Illicit drugs