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

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Background: Rwanda -- a small and centralized country dominated by rugged hills and fertile volcanic soil -- has exerted disproportionate influence over the African Great Lakes region for centuries. A Rwandan kingdom increasingly dominated the region from the mid-18th century onward, with the Tutsi monarchs gradually extending the power of the royal court into peripheral areas and expanding their borders through military conquest. While the current ethnic labels Hutu and Tutsi predate colonial rule, their flexibility and importance have varied significantly over time and often manifested more as a hierarchical class distinction than an ethnic or cultural distinction. The majority Hutu and minority Tutsi have long shared a common language and culture, and intermarriage was frequent. The Rwandan royal court centered on the Tutsi king (mwami), who relied on an extensive network of political, cultural, and economic relationships. Social categories became more rigid during the reign of RWABUGIRI (1860-1895), who focused on aggressive expansion and solidifying Rwanda’s bureaucratic structures. German colonial conquest began in the late 1890s, but the territory was ceded to Belgian forces in 1916 during World War I. Both European nations quickly realized the benefits of ruling through the already centralized Rwandan Tutsi kingdom. Colonial rule reinforced existing trends toward autocratic and exclusionary rule, leading to the elimination of traditional positions of authority for Hutus. Belgian administrators significantly increased requirements for communal labor and instituted harsh taxes, which fed the population's frustration. Changing political attitudes in Belgium contributed to colonial and Catholic officials shifting their support from Tutsi to Hutu leaders in the years leading up to independence. Simmering resentment of minority rule exploded in 1959, three years before independence from Belgium, when Hutus overthrew the Tutsi king. Thousands of Tutsis were killed over the next several years, and some 150,000 were driven into exile in neighboring countries. Army Chief of Staff Juvenal HABYARIMANA seized power in a coup in 1973 and ruled Rwanda as a single-party state for two decades. HABYARIMANA increasingly discriminated against Tutsis, and extremist Hutu factions gained prominence after multiple parties were introduced in the early 1990s. The children of Tutsi exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and began a civil war in 1990. The civil war exacerbated ethnic tensions and culminated in the shooting down of HABYARIMANA’s private jet in 1994. The event sparked a state-orchestrated genocide in which Rwandans killed more than 800,000 of their fellow citizens, including approximately three-quarters of the Tutsi population. The genocide ended later the 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, formalizing President Paul KAGAME’s de facto role as head of government. KAGAME was formally elected in 2010, and again in 2017 after changing the constitution to allow him to run for a third term.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 26,338 km²
Land: 24,668 km²
Water: 1,670 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries
Total: 930 km
Border countries (4): (4) Burundi 315 km; Democratic Republic of the Congo 221 km; Tanzania 222 km; Uganda 172 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
Highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m
Lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m
Mean elevation: 1,598 m

Natural resources

Land use
Agricultural land: 76.3% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 47% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 13.7% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 15.6% (2023 est.)
Forest: 24.5% (2023 est.)
Other: 0% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 96 km² (2012)

Major rivers: Nile river source (shared with Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt [m]) - 6,650 km
Note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

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 Congo
Volcanism: Visoke (3,711 m), 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
Total: 13,623,302 (2024 est.)
Male: 6,684,655
Female: 6,938,647
Distribution: one of Africa's most densely populated countries; large concentrations tend to be in the central regions and along the shore of Lake Kivu in the west, as shown in this population distribution map
Growth rate: 1.62% (2024 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups

Languages: Kinyarwanda (official, universal Bantu vernacular) 93.2%, French (official) <0.1%, English (official) <0.1%, Swahili/Kiswahili (official, used in commercial centers) <0.1%, more than one language, other 6.3%, unspecified 0.3% (2002 est.)
Major-language sample(s): ; Inkoranya nzimbuzi y'isi, isoko fatizo y'amakuru y'ibanze. (Kinyarwanda); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions: Christian 95.9% (Protestant 57.7% [includes Adventist 12.6%], Roman Catholic 38.2%), Muslim 2.1%, other 1% (includes traditional, Jehovah's Witness), none 1.1% (2019-20 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 37.2% (male 2,561,884/female 2,508,218)
15-64 years: 59.7% (male 3,954,608/female 4,179,844)
65 years and over: 3.1% (2024 est.) (male 168,163/female 250,585)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 67.5 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 62.3 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.1 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 19.4 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 20.8 years (2024 est.)
Male: 20.1 years
Female: 21.5 years

Population growth rate: 1.62% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 25 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 5.7 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Net migration rate

Population distribution: one of Africa's most densely populated countries; large concentrations tend to be in the central regions and along the shore of Lake Kivu in the west, as shown in this population distribution map

Urbanization
Urban population: 17.9% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 3.07% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 1.248 million KIGALI (capital) (2023)

Environment

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio: 229 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 24.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 27.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 22.5 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 66.6 years (2024 est.)
Male: 64.6 years
Female: 68.6 years

Total fertility rate: 3.14 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source
Urban: 11.9% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 39.9% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 34.9% of population (2022 est.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 8.6% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 13% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 12.2% of population (2022 est.)

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 7.7% (2020 est.)

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 12% (2024 est.); 12.4% (2023 est.); 15.1% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment


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Country name

Government type

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 is composed of the Bantu prefix ki- and the Rwandan word gali, meaning 'broad,' which is probably meant to describe the terrain

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

Dependent areas

Independence

National holiday

Constitution

Legal system: mixed system of civil law, based on German and Belgian models, and customary law; Supreme Court reviews legislative acts

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

Citizenship

Suffrage

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Paul KAGAME (since 22 April 2000)
Head of government: Prime Minister Justin NSENGIYUMVA (since 23 July 2025)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Election/appointment process: president directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister appointed by the president
Most recent election date: 4 August 2017
2024: Paul KAGAME reelected president; Paul KAGAME (RPF) 99.2%, Frank HABINEZA (DGPR) 0.5%, Philippe MPAYIMANA (independent) 0.3%
2017: Paul KAGAME reelected president; Paul KAGAME (RPF) 98.8%, Philippe MPAYIMANA (independent), other 1.2%
Expected date of next election: 15 July 2,029
Note: a constitutional amendment in 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

Legislative branch
Legislature name: Parlement (Parliament)
Legislative structure: bicameral

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: three horizontal bands of sky blue (top, double-width), yellow, and green, with a golden sun with 24 rays on the right end of the blue band

National symbols

National anthem
Title: 'Rwanda nziza' (Rwanda, Our Beautiful Country)
Lyrics/music: Faustin MURIGO/Jean-Bosco HASHAKAIMANA
History: adopted 2001

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 2 (1 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 8.9% (2024 est.); 8.2% (2023 est.); 8.2% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 8.9% (2024 est.); 8.2% (2023 est.); 8.2% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 64.9% (2024 est.)
Government consumption: 17.1% (2024 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 29.1% (2024 est.)
Investment in inventories: -3.2% (2024 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 30.8% (2024 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -39.1% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 24.6% (2024 est.)
Industry: 21% (2024 est.)
Services: 47.6% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Agriculture products

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

Industrial production growth rate: 10% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 5.671 million (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 12% (2024 est.); 12.4% (2023 est.); 15.1% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 12% (2024 est.); 12.4% (2023 est.); 15.1% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $3.41 billion (2023 est.)
Expenditures: $3.996 billion (2023 est.)
Note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 13.5% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices

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

Exports: $3.509 billion (2023 est.); $2.993 billion (2022 est.); $2.11 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: gold, rare earth ores, coffee, tea, tin ores (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $5.783 billion (2023 est.); $4.978 billion (2022 est.); $3.856 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: broadcasting equipment, fish, corn, packaged medicine, plastic products (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates


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Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 294,000 kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 876.401 million kWh (2023 est.)
Exports: 8.674 million kWh (2023 est.)
Imports: 32 million kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 197.606 million kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 50.6% (2022 est.)
Access electrification - urban areas: 98%
Access electrification - rural areas: 38.2%
Generation sources fossil fuels: 43.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 3.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 52.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Consumption: 123,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Imports: 89,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Refined petroleum consumption: 9,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 63.666 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
Consumption: 63.696 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 56.634 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 1.645 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 226,000 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 1.295 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 124,000 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 1.808 million Btu/person (2023 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 8,000 (2023 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2023 est.) less than 1
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 12.8 million (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 80 (2022 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet
Users percent of population: 34% (2023 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 62,000 (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2023 est.) less than 1


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Military expenditures: 1.3% of GDP (2024 est.); 1.3% of GDP (2023 est.); 1.4% of GDP (2022 est.); 1.4% of GDP (2021 est.); 1.3% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 8 (2025)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs