Rwanda

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 and a calcification of ethnic identities. Belgian administrators significantly increased requirements for communal labor and instituted harsh taxes, increasing frustration and inequality. 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. Newly mobilized political parties and 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 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, 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.

land

24,668 sq km

total

26,338 sq km

water

1,670 sq km

slightly smaller than Maryland

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

0 km (landlocked)

highest point

Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m

lowest point

Rusizi River 950 m

mean elevation

1,598 m

2 00 S, 30 00 E

landlocked; most of the country is intensively cultivated and rugged, with the population predominantly rural

96 sq km (2012)

border countries

Burundi 315 km; Democratic Republic of the Congo 221 km; Tanzania 222 km; Uganda 172 km

total

930 km

agricultural land

74.5% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 47% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 10.1% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 17.4% (2018 est.)

forest

18% (2018 est.)

other

7.5% (2018 est.)

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

fresh water lake(s)

Lake Kivu (shared with Democratic Republic of Congo) - 2,220 sq km

Nile river source (shared with Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt [m]) - 6,650 kmnote – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Congo (3,730,881 sq km), (Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 sq km)

Africa

none (landlocked)

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

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

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

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

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)

beer

0.23 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

6.35 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

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

women married by age 18

0.4% (2020 est.)

7.7% (2019/20)

64.1% (2019/20)

7.3% of GDP (2020)

50.4% (2023 est.)

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

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 and 3.3 in 2022. 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 approximately 125,000 refugees as of 2022; virtually all of them fleeing conflict in neighboring Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

elderly dependency ratio

5.4

potential support ratio

18.4 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

72.5

youth dependency ratio

67.1

improved: rural

rural: 80.7% of population

improved: total

total: 82.7% of population

improved: urban

urban: 92.3% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 19.3% of population

unimproved: total

total: 17.3% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 7.7% of population

3.8% of GDP (2021 est.)

Hutu, Tutsi, Twa

1.54 (2024 est.)

female

22.5 deaths/1,000 live births

male

27.3 deaths/1,000 live births

total

24.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

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.

female

68.6 years

male

64.6 years

total population

66.6 years (2024 est.)

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

73.3% (2021)

male

78.7%

total population

75.9%

1.248 million KIGALI (capital) (2023)

259 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

female

21.5 years

male

20.1 years

total

20.8 years (2024 est.)

23 years (2019/20 est.)

note

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

adjective

Rwandan

noun

Rwandan(s)

-3.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

5.8% (2016)

0.12 physicians/1,000 population (2019)

female

6,938,647 (2024 est.)

male

6,684,655

total

13,623,302

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

1.62% (2024 est.)

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.)

improved: rural

rural: 83.2% of population

improved: total

total: 84.2% of population

improved: urban

urban: 89.1% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 16.8% of population

unimproved: total

total: 15.8% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 10.9% of population

female

11 years (2019)

male

11 years

total

11 years

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

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female

total population

0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

female

7.2% (2020 est.)

male

20.1% (2020 est.)

total

13.7% (2020 est.)

3.14 children born/woman (2024 est.)

rate of urbanization

3.07% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

17.9% of total population (2023)

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)

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"

geographic coordinates

1 57 S, 30 03 E

name

Kigali

time difference

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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

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 several times, last in 2015

history

several previous; latest adopted by referendum 26 May 2003, effective 4 June 2003

conventional long form

Republic of Rwanda

conventional short form

Rwanda

etymology

the name translates as "domain" in the native Kinyarwanda language

former

Kingdom of Rwanda, Ruanda, German East Africa

local long form

Republika y'u Rwanda

local short form

Rwanda

chief of mission

Ambassador Eric KNEEDLER (since 3 October 2023)

email address and website

consularkigali@state.govhttps://rw.usembassy.gov/

embassy

2657 Avenue de la Gendarmerie (Kaciyiru), P. O. Box 28 Kigali

FAX

[250] 252 580-325

mailing address

2210 Kigali Place, Washington DC  20521-2210

telephone

[250] 252 596-400

chancery

1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW,  Washington, DC 20009

chief of mission

Ambassador Mathilde MUKANTABANA (since 18 July 2013)

email address and website

info@rwandaembassy.orghttps://rwandaembassy.org/

FAX

[1] (202) 232-4544

telephone

[1] (202) 232-2882

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

chief of state

President Paul KAGAME (since 22 April 2000)

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%  

elections/appointments

president directly elected by simple majority popular 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 on 15 July 2029); prime minister appointed by the president

head of government

Prime Minister Edouard NGIRENTE (since 30 August 2017)

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

presidential republic

1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

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

highest court(s)

Supreme Court (consists of the chief and deputy chief justices and 5 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

note

 

subordinate courts

High Court of the Republic; commercial courts including the High Commercial Court; intermediate courts; primary courts; and military specialized courts

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

description

bicameral Parliament consists of:Senate or Senat (26 seats; 12 members indirectly elected by local councils, 8 appointed by the president, 4 appointed by the Political Organizations Forum - a body of registered political parties, and 2 selected by institutions of higher learning; members serve 8-year terms)Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (80 seats; 53 members directly elected by proportional representation vote, 24 women selected by special interest groups, and 3 selected by youth and disability organizations; members serve 5-year terms)

election results

Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 17, women 9, percentage women 34.6%Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FPR 37, PSD 5, PL 5, DGPR 2, PDI 2, PS 2 composition - men 36, women 44, percentage women 55%; total Parliament percentage women 50%  

elections

Senate - last held on 16-18 September 2019 (next to be held 30 September 2024)Chamber of Deputies - last held on 15 July 2024 (next to be held 31 July 2029)

lyrics/music

Faustin MURIGO/Jean-Bosco HASHAKAIMANA

name

"Rwanda nziza" (Rwanda, Our Beautiful Country)

note

note: adopted 2001

selected World Heritage Site locales

Memorial sites of the Genocide: Nyamata, Murambi, Gisozi and Bisesero (c); Nyungwe National Park (n)

total World Heritage Sites

2 (1 cultural, 1 natural)

Independence Day, 1 July (1962)

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

Democratic Green Party of Rwanda or DGPR 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 

18 years of age; universal

bananas, cassava, sweet potatoes, potatoes, plantains, maize, beans, pumpkins/squash, taro, sorghum (2022)

note

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

expenditures

$2.191 billion (2020 est.)

note

note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

revenues

$2.676 billion (2020 est.)

Fitch rating

B+ (2014)

Moody's rating

B2 (2016)

note

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

Standard & Poors rating

B+ (2019)

Current account balance 2021

-$1.209 billion (2021 est.)

Current account balance 2022

-$1.246 billion (2022 est.)

Current account balance 2023

-$1.654 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Debt - external 2022

$4.254 billion (2022 est.)

note

note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

fast-growing Sub-Saharan economy; major public investments; trade and tourism hit hard by COVID-19; increasing poverty after 2 decades of declines; Ugandan competition for regional influence; major coffee exporter; contested GDP figures

Currency

Rwandan francs (RWF) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2019

899.351 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

943.278 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

988.625 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

1,030.308 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

1,160.099 (2023 est.)

Exports 2021

$2.11 billion (2021 est.)

Exports 2022

$2.993 billion (2022 est.)

Exports 2023

$3.509 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

gold, tin ores, coffee, malt extract, rare earth ores (2022)

note

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

UAE 32%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 25%, Thailand 5%, US 3%, Ethiopia 3% (2022)

note

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

exports of goods and services

25.4% (2023 est.)

government consumption

16.6% (2023 est.)

household consumption

75.3% (2023 est.)

imports of goods and services

-40.6% (2023 est.)

investment in fixed capital

27.1% (2023 est.)

investment in inventories

-3.8% (2023 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

agriculture

27.1% (2023 est.)

industry

21.5% (2023 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

services

44.3% (2023 est.)

$14.098 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2016

43.7 (2016 est.)

note

note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

highest 10%

35.6% (2016 est.)

lowest 10%

2.4% (2016 est.)

note

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

Imports 2021

$3.856 billion (2021 est.)

Imports 2022

$4.978 billion (2022 est.)

Imports 2023

$5.783 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

refined petroleum, gold, palm oil, rice, raw sugar (2022)

note

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

China 19%, Tanzania 11%, Kenya 10%, UAE 10%, India 7% (2022)

note

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

10.25% (2023 est.)

note

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

-0.39% (2021 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

17.69% (2022 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

19.79% (2023 est.)

note

note: annual % change based on consumer prices

5.283 million (2023 est.)

note

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

38.2% (2016 est.)

note

note: % of population with income below national poverty line

Public debt 2017

40.5% of GDP (2017 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$36.474 billion (2021 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$39.45 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$42.701 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP growth rate 2021

10.86% (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2022

8.16% (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2023

8.24% (2023 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2021

$2,700 (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$2,900 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$3,000 (2023 est.)

note

note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Remittances 2021

3.53% of GDP (2021 est.)

Remittances 2022

3.56% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances 2023

3.93% of GDP (2023 est.)

note

note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021

$1.867 billion (2021 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022

$1.726 billion (2022 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023

$1.834 billion (2023 est.)

15.07% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

note

note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

note

note: % of labor force seeking employment

Unemployment rate 2021

15.79% (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

15.09% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

14.93% (2023 est.)

female

23.3% (2023 est.)

male

20.8% (2023 est.)

note

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

total

22% (2023 est.)

from coal and metallurgical coke

77,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

from consumed natural gas

116,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

1.249 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

total emissions

1.442 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

consumption

41,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

imports

64,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption

861.285 million kWh (2022 est.)

exports

9 million kWh (2022 est.)

imports

31 million kWh (2022 est.)

installed generating capacity

273,000 kW (2022 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

140.605 million kWh (2022 est.)

electrification - rural areas

38.2%

electrification - total population

50.6% (2022 est.)

electrification - urban areas

98%

biomass and waste

0.2% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

fossil fuels

45.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

hydroelectricity

52.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

solar

1.8% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Total energy consumption per capita 2022

1.659 million Btu/person (2022 est.)

consumption

59.715 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

production

60.145 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

proven reserves

56.634 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

9,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

0.1 (2020 est.)

total

17,685 (2020 est.)

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

.rw

percent of population

30% (2021 est.)

total

3.9 million (2021 est.)

domestic

fixed-line less than 1 per 100 and mobile-cellular telephone density is 81 telephones per 100 persons (2021)

general assessment

Rwanda was slow to liberalize the mobile sector; there was effective competition among three operators; the fixed broadband sector has suffered from limited fixed-line infrastructure and high prices; operators are rolling out national backbone networks which also allow them to connect to the international submarine cables on Africa’s east coast; these cables gave the entire region greater internet bandwidth and ended the dependency on satellites; while the country also has a new cable link with Tanzania, and via Tanzania’s national broadband backbone it has gained connectivity to the networks of several other countries in the region; the number of subscribers on LTE infrastructure has increased sharply, helped by national LTE coverage achieved in mid-2018; mobile remains the dominant platform for voice and data services; the regulator noted that the number of mobile subscribers increased 2.7% in 2021, year-on-year; there was a slight fall in the beginning of 2022 (2022)

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); international submarine fiber-optic cables on the African east coast has brought international bandwidth and lessened the dependency on satellites

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

(2022 est.) less than 1

total subscriptions

10,000 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

80 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

11.002 million (2022 est.)

8 (2024)

9XR

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

1,073,528 (2018)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

12

number of registered air carriers

1 (2020)

paved

2,652 km

total

7,797 km

unpaved

5,145 km (2024)

90 km (2022) (Lake Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft)

the RDF is widely regarded as one of East Africa’s best trained and most experienced militaries; its principle responsibilities are ensuring territorial integrity and national sovereignty and preventing infiltrations of illegal armed groups from neighboring countries, particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); since 2021, Rwanda has deployed troops to the border region with the DRC to combat the rebel Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which it has accused the DRC of backing; the RDF has been accused by the DRC, the UN, and the US of making incursions into the DRC and providing material support to the March 23 Movement (M23, aka Congolese Revolutionary Army) rebel group, which has been fighting with DRC troops and UN peacekeeping forces; the RDF also participates in UN and regional military operations, as well as multinational exercises 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 (2024)

Rwanda Defense Force (RDF; Ingabo z’u Rwanda): Rwanda Army (Rwanda Land Force), Rwanda Air Force (Force Aerienne Rwandaise, FAR), Rwanda Reserve Force, Special UnitsMinistry of Internal Security: Rwanda National Police (2024)

approximately 33,000 active RDF personnel (32,000 Army; 1,000 Air Force) (2023)

approximately 3,200 Central African Republic (about 2,200 under MINUSCA, plus some 700 police; approximately 1,000 under a bi-lateral agreement); approximately 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) (2024)

the RDF's inventory includes a mix of older and some modern equipment from suppliers such as China, France, Israel, Russia and the former Soviet Union, South Africa, and Turkey (2024)

Military Expenditures 2019

1.2% of GDP (2019 est.)

Military Expenditures 2020

1.3% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military Expenditures 2021

1.4% of GDP (2021 est.)

Military Expenditures 2022

1.4% of GDP (2022 est.)

Military Expenditures 2023

1.4% of GDP (2023 est.)

18 years of age for men and women for voluntary military service; no conscription; Rwandan citizenship is required; enlistment is either as contract (5-years, renewable twice) or career professional (2024)

note

note: as of 2022, women comprised approximately 6% of the Rwanda Defense Force

refugees (country of origin)

79,720 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 48,533 (Burundi) (2024)

stateless persons

9,500 (2022)

tier rating

Tier 2 Watch List — the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking compared with the previous reporting period, therefore Rwanda was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/rwanda/

Rwanda Space Agency (L’Agence Spatiale Rwandaise; RSA; established 2020 and approved by legislature in 2021) (2024)

has a small program focused on developing and utilizing space technologies, such as satellite imagery for socioeconomic development and security purposes; operates communications and remote sensing (RS) satellites; the RSA is responsible for regulating and coordinating the country’s space activities and encouraging commercial and industrial development; has established ties with the space agencies or industries of several countries, including France, Israel, Japan, the UAE, and the US (2024)

note

note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in the Space Programs reference guide

carbon dioxide emissions

1.11 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

2.92 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

35.66 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

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

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

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified

Law of the Sea

agricultural land

74.5% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 47% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 10.1% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 17.4% (2018 est.)

forest

18% (2018 est.)

other

7.5% (2018 est.)

fresh water lake(s)

Lake Kivu (shared with Democratic Republic of Congo) - 2,220 sq km

Nile river source (shared with Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt [m]) - 6,650 kmnote – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Congo (3,730,881 sq km), (Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 sq km)

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

3.75% of GDP (2018 est.)

13.3 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural

360 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial

10 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

municipal

230 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

rate of urbanization

3.07% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

17.9% of total population (2023)

municipal solid waste generated annually

4,384,969 tons (2016 est.)