Rwanda
Republic of Rwanda
Population
13.62M
Area
26,338 km²
GDP
$14.25B
GDP Per Capita
$3,300
Pop. Density
517/km²
Quick Facts
Currency
FrRwandan franc(RWF)
Calling Code
+250
Timezone
UTC+02:00
Languages
English, French, Kinyarwanda
Driving Side
right
Demonym
Rwandan
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.
Historical Trends
GDP (USD)
↑329.3% since 2006Population
↑53.3% since 2006Life Expectancy at Birth
Latest: 67.8 yearsData source: World Bank Open Data
Geography20
Location
Central Africa, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, north of Burundi
Geographic coordinates
2 00 S, 30 00 E
Map references
Africa
Area
land: 24,668 sq km
water: 1,670 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries
border countries: 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
lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m
mean elevation: 1,598 m
Natural resources
gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land
Land use
agricultural land
agricultural land: arable land
agricultural land: permanent crops
agricultural land: permanent pasture
forest
other
Irrigated land
96 sq km (2012)
Major lakes (area sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major watersheds (area sq km)
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
Natural hazards
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
People & Society36
Population
male: 6,684,655
female: 6,938,647
Nationality
adjective: Rwandan
Ethnic groups
Hutu, Tutsi, Twa
Languages
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
Catholic 39.9%, Pentecostal 21.3%, Protestant 14.6%, Adventist 12.2%, other Christians 4.2%, no religion 3.0%, Muslim 2.0%, other religions 2.0%; less than 1%: Jehovah Witness, not specified, Animist (2022 est.)
Age structure
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
youth dependency ratio: 62.3 (2024 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 5.1 (2024 est.)
potential support ratio: 19.4 (2024 est.)
Median age
male: 20.1 years
female: 21.5 years
Population growth rate
2% (2025 est.)
Birth rate
25.05 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
4.87 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Net migration rate
-0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
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
rate of urbanization: 3.07% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population
1.248 million KIGALI (capital) (2023)
Sex ratio
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.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
23 years (2019/20 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
229 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male: 27.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 22.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth
male: 64.6 years
female: 68.6 years
Total fertility rate
3.2 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
1.58 (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: urban
improved: rural
improved: total
unimproved: urban
unimproved: rural
unimproved: total
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of national budget): 9.5% of national budget (2022 est.)
Physician density
0.09 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Hospital bed density
0.7 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: urban
improved: rural
improved: total
unimproved: urban
unimproved: rural
unimproved: total
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
5.8% (2016)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer: 0.23 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
male: 17% (2025 est.)
female: 6.3% (2025 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
7.7% (2020 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
49.9% (2022 est.)
Child marriage
women married by age 18: 5.5% (2020)
men married by age 18: 0.4% (2020)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% national budget): 13.9% national budget (2025 est.)
Literacy
male: 81% (2022 est.)
female: 76.7% (2022 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male: 13 years (2023 est.)
female: 13 years (2023 est.)
Government25
Country name
conventional long form
conventional short form
local long form
local short form
former
etymology
Government type
presidential republic
Capital
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
Legal system
mixed system of civil law, based on German and Belgian models, and customary law; Supreme Court reviews legislative acts
Constitution
amendment process: 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
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Citizenship
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
head of government
cabinet
election/appointment process
most recent election date
election results
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
Legislative branch
legislative structure: bicameral
Legislative branch - lower chamber
chamber name
number of seats
electoral system
scope of elections
term in office
most recent election date
parties elected and seats per party
percentage of women in chamber
expected date of next election
Legislative branch - upper chamber
chamber name
number of seats
scope of elections
term in office
most recent election date
percentage of women in chamber
expected date of next election
Judicial branch
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
Liberal Party or PL
Party for Progress and Concord or PPC
Rwandan Patriotic Front or RPF
Rwandan Patriotic Front Coalition (includes RPF, PPC, PSP, UDPR, PDI, PSR, PDC)
Social Democratic Party or PSD
Social Party Imberakuri or PS-Imberakuri
Diplomatic representation in the US
chancery: 1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 232-2882
FAX: [1] (202) 232-4544
email address and website:
[email protected]
https://rwandaembassy.org/
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission
embassy
mailing address
telephone
FAX
email address and website
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, AU, 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, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Independence
1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday
Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
Flag
meaning: blue stands for happiness and peace, yellow for economic development and mineral wealth, and green for hope for prosperity and natural resources; the sun symbolizes unity and enlightenment
National symbol(s)
traditional woven basket with peaked lid
National color(s)
blue, yellow, green
National anthem(s)
lyrics/music: Faustin MURIGO/Jean-Bosco HASHAKAIMANA
history: adopted 2001
National heritage
selected World Heritage Site locales: Memorial sites of the Genocide: Nyamata, Murambi, Gisozi and Bisesero (c); Nyungwe National Park (n)
Economy31
Economic overview
low-income Sub-Saharan economy; services, industry, and agriculture sectors driving growth; increased government spending on human capital, energy, and healthcare; major infrastructure projects including the Bugesera Airport intended to support long-term growth; challenges include lack of economic diversification, high inflation, and wide current account deficit
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $42.743 billion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $39.485 billion (2022 est.)
Real GDP growth rate
Real GDP growth rate 2023: 8.2% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2022: 8.2% (2022 est.)
Real GDP per capita
Real GDP per capita 2023: $3,100 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $2,900 (2022 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$14.252 billion (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023: 19.8% (2023 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 17.7% (2022 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
industry: 21% (2024 est.)
services: 47.6% (2024 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use
household consumption
government consumption
investment in fixed capital
investment in inventories
exports of goods and services
imports of goods and services
Agricultural products
bananas, cassava, sweet potatoes, plantains, potatoes, maize, beans, pumpkins/squash, taro, sorghum (2023)
Industries
cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes
Industrial production growth rate
10% (2024 est.)
Labor force
5.671 million (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate
Unemployment rate 2023: 12.4% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2022: 15.1% (2022 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
male: 15.8% (2024 est.)
female: 19.4% (2024 est.)
Population below poverty line
38.2% (2016 est.)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
Household income or consumption by percentage share
highest 10%: 35.6% (2016 est.)
Remittances
Remittances 2022: 3.6% of GDP (2022 est.)
Remittances 2021: 3.5% of GDP (2021 est.)
Budget
expenditures: $3.996 billion (2023 est.)
Public debt
Taxes and other revenues
13.5% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
Current account balance
Current account balance 2022: -$1.246 billion (2022 est.)
Current account balance 2021: -$1.209 billion (2021 est.)
Exports
Exports 2022: $2.993 billion (2022 est.)
Exports 2021: $2.11 billion (2021 est.)
Exports - partners
UAE 66%, China 10%, USA 3%, Kenya 3%, Thailand 2% (2023)
Exports - commodities
gold, rare earth ores, coffee, tea, tin ores (2023)
Imports
Imports 2022: $4.978 billion (2022 est.)
Imports 2021: $3.856 billion (2021 est.)
Imports - partners
China 19%, Kenya 14%, Uganda 13%, Tanzania 9%, UAE 7% (2023)
Imports - commodities
broadcasting equipment, fish, corn, packaged medicine, plastic products (2023)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023: $1.834 billion (2023 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022: $1.726 billion (2022 est.)
Debt - external
Exchange rates
Currency
Exchange rates 2024
Exchange rates 2023
Exchange rates 2022
Exchange rates 2021
Exchange rates 2020
Energy7
Electricity access
electrification - urban areas: 98%
electrification - rural areas: 38.2%
Electricity
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.)
Electricity generation sources
solar: 3.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
hydroelectricity: 52.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
biomass and waste: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Coal
imports: 89,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Petroleum
Natural gas
consumption: 63.696 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
proven reserves: 56.634 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Energy consumption per capita
Communications6
Telephones - fixed lines
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2023 est.) less than 1
Telephones - mobile cellular
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 80 (2022 est.)
Broadcast media
13 TV stations; 35 radio stations, including international broadcasters; government owns most popular TV and radio stations; regional satellite-based TV available
Internet country code
.rw
Internet users
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2023 est.) less than 1
Transportation2
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
9XR
Airports
8 (2025)
Military & Security7
Military and security forces
Ministry of Internal Security: Rwanda National Police (2025)
Military expenditures
Military Expenditures 2023: 1.3% of GDP (2023 est.)
Military Expenditures 2022: 1.4% of GDP (2022 est.)
Military Expenditures 2021: 1.4% of GDP (2021 est.)
Military Expenditures 2020: 1.3% of GDP (2020 est.)
Military and security service personnel strengths
approximately 30-35,000 active Rwanda Defense Forces (2025)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the RDF's inventory is a mix of older and some modern equipment from suppliers such as China, France, Israel, Russia/former Soviet Union, South Africa, and Türkiye (2025)
Military service age and obligation
typically 18-30 years of age for men and women for voluntary military service (including officer candidates and those with university degrees and specialized qualifications); enlistment is either as contract (5-years, renewable twice) or career professional; no conscription (2025)
Military deployments
approximately 3,200 Central African Republic (about 2,200 under MINUSCA, plus some 700 police; approximately 1,000 under a bi-lateral agreement); estimated 3-4,000 Democratic Republic of the Congo; estimated 3,000 Mozambique (bilateral agreement to assist with combating an insurgency; includes both military and police forces); 2,600 (plus about 450 police) South Sudan (UNMISS) (2025)
Military - note
the Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR) were established following independence in 1962; after the 1990-1994 civil war and genocide, the victorious Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic Front's military wing, the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA), became the country's military force; the RPA participated in the First (1996-1997) and Second (1998-2003) Congolese Wars; the RPA was renamed the Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) in 2003, by which time it had assumed a more national character with the inclusion of many former Hutu officers as well as newly recruited soldiers (2025)
Transnational Issues2
Refugees and internally displaced persons
IDPs: 21,948 (2024 est.)
stateless persons: 14,500 (2024 est.)