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

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Background: A Rwandan kingdom dominated the region from the mid-18th century onward, with the Tutsi rulers conquering others militarily, centralizing power, and increasingly enacting anti-Hutu policies. German colonial rule began in 1898, but Belgian forces captured Rwanda in 1916 during World War I. Both European nations ruled through the kings and pursued a pro-Tutsi policy. 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 approximately 800,000 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. Rwanda held its first local elections in 1999 and its first post-genocide presidential and legislative elections in 2003. Rwanda joined the Commonwealth in late 2009. President Paul KAGAME won the presidential election in August 2017 after changing the constitution in 2016 to allow him to run for a third term.


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Location: Central Africa, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, north of Burundi

Geographic coordinates: 2 00 S, 30 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 26,338 km²
Land: 24,668 km²
Water: 1670 km²
Rank: 148
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries
Total: 930 km
Border countries: (4) Burundi 315 km; , Democratic Republic of the Congo 221 km; , Tanzania 222 km; , Uganda 172 km

Coastline: 0 km
Note: (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
Mean elevation: 1598 m
Lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m
Highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 74.5% (2011 est.)
Forest: 18% (2011 est.)
Other: 7.5% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 96 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga Mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congovolcanism: Visoke (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 intensively cultivated and rugged with the population predominantly rural


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Population
Distribution rank: population distribution map: 12,712,431 (July 2020 est.)
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
Rank: 75
Growth rate: 2% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 46
Below poverty line: 39.1% (2015 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Rwandan(s)
Adjective: Rwandan

Ethnic groups: Hutu, Tutsi, Twa (Pygmy)

Languages: Kinyarwanda (official, universal Bantu vernacular) 93.2%, French (official) <.1, English (official) <.1, Swahili/Kiswahili (official, used in commercial centers) <.1, more than one language, other 6.3%, unspecified 0.3% (2002 est.)

Religions: Protestant 49.5% (includes Adventist 11.8% and other Protestant 37.7%), Roman Catholic 43.7%, Muslim 2%, other 0.9% (includes Jehovah's Witness), none 2.5%, unspecified 1.3% (2012 est.)

Demographic profile: Rwanda’s fertility rate declined sharply during the last decade, as a result of the government’s commitment to family planning, the increased use of contraceptives, and a downward trend in ideal family size. Increases in educational attainment, particularly among girls, and exposure to social media also contributed to the reduction in the birth rate. The average number of births per woman decreased from a 5.6 in 2005 to 4.5 in 2016. Despite these significant strides in reducing fertility, Rwanda’s birth rate remains very high and will continue to for an extended period of time because of its large population entering reproductive age. Because Rwanda is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa, its persistent high population growth and increasingly small agricultural landholdings will put additional strain on families’ ability to raise foodstuffs and access potable water. These conditions will also hinder the government’s efforts to reduce poverty and prevent environmental degradation.The UNHCR recommended that effective 30 June 2013 countries invoke a cessation of refugee status for those Rwandans who fled their homeland between 1959 and 1998, including the 1994 genocide, on the grounds that the conditions that drove them to seek protection abroad no longer exist. The UNHCR’s decision is controversial because many Rwandan refugees still fear persecution if they return home, concerns that are supported by the number of Rwandans granted asylum since 1998 and by the number exempted from the cessation. Rwandan refugees can still seek an exemption or local integration, but host countries are anxious to send the refugees back to Rwanda and are likely to avoid options that enable them to stay. Conversely, Rwanda itself hosts almost 160,000 refugees as of 2017; virtually all of them fleeing conflict in neighboring Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Age structure
0-14 years: 39.95% (male 2,564,893/female 2,513,993)
15-24 years: 20.1% (male 1,280,948/female 1,273,853)
25-54 years: 33.06% (male 2,001,629/female 2,201,132)
55-64 years: 4.24% (male 241,462/female 298,163)
65 years and over: 2.65% (male 134,648/female 201,710) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 74.2
Youth dependency ratio: 68.8
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.4
Potential support ratio: 18.4 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 19.7 years
Male: 18.9 years
Female: 20.4 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 199

Population growth rate: 2% (2020 est.)
Rank: 46

Birth rate: 27.9 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 39

Death rate: 6.1 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 159

Net migration rate: -3.3 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 181

Population distribution
Rank: population distribution map

Urbanization
Urban population: 17.4% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 2.86% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 1.132 million KIGALI (capital) (2020)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; land degradation; soil erosion; a decline in soil fertility (soil exhaustion); wetland degradation and loss of biodiversity; widespread poaching
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.81 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 23 years (2014/15 est.)
Note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 28 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 30.6 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 25.3 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 60

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 65.1 years
Male: 63.2 years
Female: 67.1 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 196

Total fertility rate: 3.52 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 40

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 53.2% (2014/15)

Drinking water source
Urban: 8% of population
Rural: 23.1% of population
Total: 20.5% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 6.6% (2017)

Physicians density: 0.14 physicians/1000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 11.6% of population
Rural: 20.6% of population
Total: 19.1% of population (2017 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 2.9% (2019 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 19
People living with hivaids: 230,000 (2019 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 26
Deaths: 2,800 (2019 est.)
Deaths rank: 37

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high (2020)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
Animal contact diseases: rabies

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 5.8% (2016)
Rank: 174

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 9.6% (2015)
Rank: 66

Education expenditures: 3.1% of GDP (2018)
Rank: 133

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 73.2%
Male: 77.6%
Female: 69.4% (2018)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 11 years
Male: 11 years
Female: 11 years (2019)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Rwanda
Conventional short form: Rwanda
Local long form: Republika yu Rwanda
Local short form: Rwanda
Former: Ruanda, German East Africa
Etymology: the name translates as domain in the native Kinyarwanda language

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Kigali
Geographic coordinates: 1 57 S, 30 03 E
Time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time): etymology: the city takes its name from nearby Mount Kigali; the name 'Kigali' is composed of the Bantu prefix 'ki' and the Rwandan 'gali' meaning 'broad' and likely refers to the broad, sprawling hill that has been dignified with the title of 'mount'

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
History: several previous; latest adopted by referendum 26 May 2003, effective 4 June 2003
Amendments: proposed by the president of the republic (with Council of Ministers approval) or by two-thirds majority vote of both houses of Parliament; passage requires at least three-quarters majority vote in both houses; changes to constitutional articles on national sovereignty, the presidential term, the form and system of government, and political pluralism also require approval in a referendum; amended 2008, 2010, 2015

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
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Rwanda; if the father is stateless or unknown, the mother must be a citizen
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Paul KAGAME (since 22 April 2000)
Head of government: Prime Minister Edouard NGIRENTE (since 30 August 2017)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by simple majority vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); note - a constitutional amendment approved in December 2016 reduced the presidential term from 7 to 5 years but included an exception that allowed President KAGAME to serve another 7-year term in 2017, potentially followed by two additional 5-year terms; election last held on 4 August 2017 (next to be held in August 2024); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: Paul KAGAME reelected president; Paul KAGAME (RPF) 98.8%, Philippe MPAYIMANA (independent) 0.7%, Frank HABINEZA (DGPR)0.5%

Legislative branch
Description:
Elections:
Election results:

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of the chief and deputy chief justices and 15 judges; normally organized into 3-judge panels); High Court (consists of the court president, vice president, and a minimum of 24 judges and organized into 5 chambers)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges nominated by the president after consultation with the Cabinet and the Superior Council of the Judiciary (SCJ), a 27-member body of judges, other judicial officials, and legal professionals) and approved by the Senate; chief and deputy chief justices appointed for 8-year nonrenewable terms; tenure of judges NA; High Court president and vice president appointed by the president of the republic upon approval by the Senate; judges appointed by the Supreme Court chief justice upon approval of the SCJ; judge tenure NA
Subordinate courts: High Court of the Republic; commercial courts including the High Commercial Court; intermediate courts; primary courts; and military specialized courts:  

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Green Party of Rwanda or DGPR [Frank HABINEZA]Liberal Party or PL [Donatille MUKABALISA]Party for Progress and Concord or PPC [Dr. Alivera MUKABARAMBA]Party Imberakuri or PS-Imberakuri [Christine MUKABUNANI]Rwandan Patriotic Front or RPF [Paul KAGAME]Rwandan Patriotic Front Coalition (includes RPF, PPC) [Paul KAGAME]Social Democratic Party or PSD [Vincent BIRUTA]

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, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Mathilde MUKANTABANA (since 18 July 2013)
In the us chancery: 1875 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 418, 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 chief of mission: Ambassador Peter H. VROOMAN (since 5 April 2018)
From the us telephone: [250] 252 596-400
From the us embassy: 2,657 Avenue de la Gendarmerie, P. O. Box 28, Kigali
From the us mailing address: B.P. 28, Kigali
From the us FAX: [250] 252 580 325

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: traditional woven basket with peaked lid; national colors: blue, yellow, green

National anthem
Name: Rwanda nziza (Rwanda, Our Beautiful Country)
Lyricsmusic: Faustin MURIGO/Jean-Bosco HASHAKAIMANA
Note: adopted 2001

National heritage


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real:
Real note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 28

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars
Rank: 190

Gross national saving:
Rank: 147

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 75.9% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 15.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 22.9% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.5% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 18.2% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -32.8% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 30.9% (2017 est.)
Industry: 17.6% (2017 est.)
Services: 51.5% (2017 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: 4.2% (2017 est.)
Rank: 72

Labor force: 6.227 million (2017 est.)
Rank: 70
By occupation agriculture: 75.3%
By occupation industry: 6.7%
By occupation services: 18% (2012 est.)

Unemployment rate: 2.7% (2014 est.)
Rank: 32

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 39.1% (2015 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.1%
Highest 10: 43.2% (2011 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: 1.943 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 2.337 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -4.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 162

Taxes and other revenues: 21.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 142

Public debt:
Rank: 125

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 151

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:
Rank: 128

Exports:
Rank: 159
Partners: UAE 38.3%, Kenya 15.1%, Switzerland 9.9%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 9.5%, US 4.9%, Singapore 4.5% (2017)
Commodities: coffee, tea, hides, tin ore

Imports:
Rank: 171
Commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material
Partners: China 20.4%, Uganda 11%, India 7.2%, Kenya 7.1%, Tanzania 5.3%, UAE 5.1% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 132

Debt external:
Rank: 141

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access population without electricity: 6 million (2019)
Access electrification total population: 53% (2019)
Access electrification urban areas: 76% (2019)
Access electrification rural areas: 48% (2019)
Production: 525 million kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 164
Consumption: 527.3 million kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 169
Exports: 4 million kWh (2015 est.)
Exports rank: 92
Imports: 42 million kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 108
Installed generating capacity: 191,000 kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 166
Generation sources fossil fuels: 42% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 163
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 170
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 51% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 37
Generation sources other renewable sources: 7% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 96

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 189
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 182
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 184
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 184

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 191
Products consumption: 6,700 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 167
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 192
Products imports: 6,628 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 162

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 186
Consumption: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 188
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 171
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 177
Proven reserves: 56.63 billion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 61

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 985,600 Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 169

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 11,215 (2019 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 188
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 9,531,609
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 76.49 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 90

Telephone system

Broadcast media: 13 TV stations; 35 radio stations registered, including international broadcasters, government owns most popular TV and radio stations; regional satellite-based TV services available

Internet
Country code: .rw
Users total: 2,653,197
Users percent of population: 21.77% (July 2018 est.)
Users rank: 107

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 7,501 (2018 est.)
Rank: 175


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 106

Military and security forces: Rwanda Defense Force (RDF): Rwanda Army (Rwanda Land Force), Rwanda Air Force (Force Aerienne Rwandaise, FAR), Rwanda Reserve Force (2020)

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 (2013)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 12
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 1,073,528 (2018)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 9XR (2016)

Airports: 7 (2013)
Rank: 171
With paved runways total: 4 (2019)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With paved runways under 914 m: 1
With unpaved runways total: 3 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2013)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 4,700 km (2012)
Paved: 1207 km (2012)
Unpaved: 3,493 km (2012)
Rank: 148

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

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals
Lake port: Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye (Lake Kivu)


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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 of the border remains in place

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 77,017 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 72,007 (Burundi) (2020)

Illicit drugs