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Africa
Page last updated: July 24, 2024
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.
Central Africa, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, north of Burundi
2 00 S, 30 00 E
Africa
Total : 26,338 km²
Land: 24,668 km²
Water: 1,670 km²
Slightly smaller than Maryland
Area comparison map:
Total: 930 km
Border countries (4): Burundi 315 km; Democratic Republic of the Congo 221 km; Tanzania 222 km; Uganda 172 km
0 km (landlocked)
None (landlocked)
Temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible
Mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east
Highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m
Lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m
Mean elevation: 1,598 m
Gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land
Agricultural land: 74.5% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 47% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 10.1% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 17.4% (2018 est.)
Forest: 18% (2018 est.)
Other: 7.5% (2018 est.)
96 km² (2012)
Fresh water lake(s): Lake Kivu (shared with Democratic Republic of Congo) - 2,220 km²
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
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Congo (3,730,881 km²), (Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 km²)
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
Periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga Mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo
Volcanism: Visoke (3,711 m), located on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is the country's only historically active volcano
Landlocked; most of the country is intensively cultivated and rugged, with the population predominantly rural
Total: 13,623,302
Male: 6,684,655
Female: 6,938,647 (2024 est.)
Comparison rankings: female 76; male 78; total 76
Noun: Rwandan(s)
Adjective: Rwandan
Hutu, Tutsi, Twa
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.
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.)
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.
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)
2023 population pyramid:
Total dependency ratio: 72.5
Youth dependency ratio: 67.1
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.4
Potential support ratio: 18.4 (2021 est.)
Total: 20.8 years (2024 est.)
Male: 20.1 years
Female: 21.5 years
1.62% (2024 est.)
25 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
5.7 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
-3.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
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
Urban population: 17.9% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 3.07% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
1.248 million KIGALI (capital) (2023)
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.)
23 years (2019/20 est.)
Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
259 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
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
Total population: 66.6 years (2024 est.)
Male: 64.6 years
Female: 68.6 years
3.14 children born/woman (2024 est.)
1.54 (2024 est.)
64.1% (2019/20)
Improved: urban: 92.3% of population
Rural: 80.7% of population
Total: 82.7% of population
Unimproved: urban: 7.7% of population
Rural: 19.3% of population
Total: 17.3% of population (2020 est.)
7.3% of GDP (2020)
0.12 physicians/1,000 population (2019)
Improved: urban: 89.1% of population
Rural: 83.2% of population
Total: 84.2% of population
Unimproved: urban: 10.9% of population
Rural: 16.8% of population
Total: 15.8% of population (2020 est.)
Degree of risk: very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and sexually transmitted diseases: HIV/AIDS (2024)
Animal contact diseases: rabies
5.8% (2016)
Total: 6.35 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
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.)
Total: 13.7% (2020 est.)
Male: 20.1% (2020 est.)
Female: 7.2% (2020 est.)
7.7% (2019/20)
50.4% (2023 est.)
Women married by age 18: 0.4% (2020 est.)
3.8% of GDP (2021 est.)
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 75.9%
Male: 78.7%
Female: 73.3% (2021)
Total: 11 years
Male: 11 years
Female: 11 years (2019)
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
Temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible
Agricultural land: 74.5% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 47% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 10.1% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 17.4% (2018 est.)
Forest: 18% (2018 est.)
Other: 7.5% (2018 est.)
Urban population: 17.9% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 3.07% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
3.75% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
Particulate matter emissions: 35.66 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 1.11 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 2.92 megatons (2020 est.)
Municipal solid waste generated annually: 4,384,969 tons (2016 est.)
Fresh water lake(s): Lake Kivu (shared with Democratic Republic of Congo) - 2,220 km²
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
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Congo (3,730,881 km²), (Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 km²)
Municipal: 230 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 10 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 360 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
13.3 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Conventional long form: Republic of Rwanda
Conventional short form: Rwanda
Local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda
Local short form: Rwanda
Former: Kingdom of Rwanda, Ruanda, German East Africa
Etymology: the name translates as "domain" in the native Kinyarwanda language
Presidential republic
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"
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)
1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)
Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
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 several times, last in 2015
Mixed legal system of civil law, based on German and Belgian models, and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court
Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
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
18 years of age; universal
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
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 2024); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results:
2017: Paul KAGAME reelected president; Paul KAGAME (RPF) 98.8%, Philippe MPAYIMANA (independent), other 1.2%
2010: Paul KAGAME reelected president; Paul KAGAME (RPF) 93.1%, Jean NTAWUKURIRYAYO (PSD) 5.1%, other 1.8%
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)
Elections: Senate - last held on 16-18 September 2019 (next to be held in 2027)
Chamber of Deputies - last held on 3 September 2018 (next to be held 15 July 2024)
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 - Rwandan Patriotic Front Coalition 40, PSD 5, PL 4, other 4, indirectly elected 27; composition - men 31, women 49, percentage women 61.3%; total Parliament percentage women 54.7%
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
Subordinate courts: High Court of the Republic; commercial courts including the High Commercial Court; intermediate courts; primary courts; and military specialized courts
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]
Rwandan Patriotic Front or RPF [Paul KAGAME]
Rwandan Patriotic Front Coalition (includes RPF, PPC, PSP, UDPR, PDI, PSR, PDC) [Paul KAGAME]
Social Democratic Party or PSD [Vincent BIRUTA]
Social Party Imberakuri or PS-Imberakuri [Christine MUKABUNANI]
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
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
Traditional woven basket with peaked lid; national colors: blue, yellow, green
Name: "Rwanda nziza" (Rwanda, Our Beautiful Country)
Lyrics/music: Faustin MURIGO/Jean-Bosco HASHAKAIMANA
Note: adopted 2001
Total World Heritage Sites: 2 (1 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales: Memorial sites of the Genocide: Nyamata, Murambi, Gisozi and Bisesero (c); Nyungwe National Park (n)
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
$42.701 billion (2023 est.)
$39.45 billion (2022 est.)
$36.474 billion (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars
8.24% (2023 est.)
8.16% (2022 est.)
10.86% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
$3,000 (2023 est.)
$2,900 (2022 est.)
$2,700 (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars
$14.098 billion (2023 est.)
Note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
19.79% (2023 est.)
17.69% (2022 est.)
-0.39% (2021 est.)
Note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Fitch rating: B+ (2014)
Moody's rating: B2 (2016)
Standard & Poors rating: B+ (2019)
Note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
Agriculture: 30.9% (2017 est.)
Industry: 17.6% (2017 est.)
Services: 51.5% (2017 est.)
Comparison rankings: services 172; industry 166; agriculture 17
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.)
Bananas, cassava, sweet potatoes, potatoes, plantains, maize, beans, pumpkins/squash, taro, sorghum (2022)
Note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
Cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes
10.25% (2023 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
5.283 million (2023 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
14.93% (2023 est.)
15.09% (2022 est.)
15.79% (2021 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment
Total: 2.9% (2021 est.)
Male: 2.2%
Female: 3.6%
38.2% (2016 est.)
Note: % of population with income below national poverty line
43.7 (2016 est.)
Note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality
Lowest 10%: 2.4% (2016 est.)
Highest 10%: 35.6% (2016 est.)
Note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population
3.93% of GDP (2023 est.)
3.56% of GDP (2022 est.)
3.53% of GDP (2021 est.)
Note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
Revenues: $2.393 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $2.919 billion (2019 est.)
-4.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
40.5% of GDP (2017 est.)
37.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
15.07% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP
-$1.654 billion (2023 est.)
-$1.246 billion (2022 est.)
-$1.209 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
$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
UAE 32%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 25%, Thailand 5%, US 3%, Ethiopia 3% (2022)
Note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Gold, tin ores, coffee, malt extract, rare earth ores (2022)
Note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
$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
China 19%, Tanzania 11%, Kenya 10%, UAE 10%, India 7% (2022)
Note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Refined petroleum, gold, palm oil, rice, raw sugar (2022)
Note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
$1.834 billion (2023 est.)
$1.726 billion (2022 est.)
$1.867 billion (2021 est.)
Note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
$3.258 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$2.611 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Rwandan francs (RWF) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
1,160.099 (2023 est.)
1,030.308 (2022 est.)
988.625 (2021 est.)
943.278 (2020 est.)
899.351 (2019 est.)
Electrification - total population: 50.6% (2022 est.)
Electrification - urban areas: 98%
Electrification - rural areas: 38.2%
Installed generating capacity: 273,000 kW (2022 est.)
Consumption: 861.285 million kWh (2022 est.)
Exports: 9 million kWh (2022 est.)
Imports: 31 million kWh (2022 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 140.605 million kWh (2022 est.)
Comparison rankings: transmission/distribution losses 55; imports 119; exports 97; consumption 162; installed generating capacity 169
Fossil fuels: 45.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Solar: 1.8% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Hydroelectricity: 52.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Biomass and waste: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Consumption: 41,000 metric tons (2022 est.)
Imports: 64,000 metric tons (2022 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 9,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)
Production: 60.145 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
Consumption: 59.715 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
Proven reserves: 56.634 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
1.442 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 77,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 1.249 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 116,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
1.659 million Btu/person (2022 est.)
Total subscriptions: 10,000 (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2022 est.) less than 1
Total subscriptions: 11.002 million (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 80 (2022 est.)
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)
Domestic: fixed-line less than 1 per 100 and mobile-cellular telephone density is 81 telephones per 100 persons (2021)
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
13 TV stations; 35 radio stations registered, including international broadcasters, government owns most popular TV and radio stations; regional satellite-based TV services available
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Total: 3.9 million (2021 est.)
Percent of population: 30% (2021 est.)
Total: 17,685 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.1 (2020 est.)
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)
9XR
8 (2024)
Total: 7,797 km
Paved: 2,652 km
Unpaved: 5,145 km (2024)
90 km (2022) (Lake Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft)
Rwanda Defense Force (RDF; Ingabo z’u Rwanda): Rwanda Army (Rwanda Land Force), Rwanda Air Force (Force Aerienne Rwandaise, FAR), Rwanda Reserve Force, Special Units
Ministry of Internal Security: Rwanda National Police (2024)
1.4% of GDP (2023 est.)
1.4% of GDP (2022 est.)
1.4% of GDP (2021 est.)
1.3% of GDP (2020 est.)
1.2% of GDP (2019 est.)
Approximately 33,000 active RDF personnel (32,000 Army; 1,000 Air Force) (2023)
The RDF's inventory includes mostly Soviet-era and older Western--largely French and South African--equipment; in recent years, Russia has been the top supplier of arms to Rwanda (2023)
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 (2023)
Note: as of 2022, women comprised approximately 6% of the Rwanda Defense Force
Approximately 2,200 Central African Republic (MINUSCA; plus about 700 police); approximately 2,500 Mozambique (deployed mid-2021 under a bilateral agreement to assist with combating an insurgency; includes both military and police forces); 2,600 (plus about 450 police) South Sudan (UNMISS) (2024)
Note: in December 2020, Rwanda sent an additional 1,200 to the Central African Republic under a bilateral agreement to support and train Central African Republic military forces, but their status as of 2024 was unclear)
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; over 6,000 RDF personnel are deployed in the Central African Republic, Mozambique, and South Sudan
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 (2023)
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: 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
Refugees (country of origin): 79,720 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 48,533 (Burundi) (2024)
Stateless persons: 9,500 (2022)