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Communications

Internet country code [time series]

.rw

Internet users (Internet hosts) [time series]

2,363 (2008)

Internet users [time series]

100,000 (2007)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 0, FM 8 (two main FM programs are broadcast through a system of repeaters, three international FM programs include the BBC, VOA, and Deutchewelle), shortwave 1 (2005)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: small, inadequate telephone system primarily serves business and government domestic: the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the provinces by microwave radio relay and, recently, by cellular telephone service; much of the network depends on wire and HF radiotelephone; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone density is only about 7 telephones per 100 persons 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)

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

23,100 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

635,100 (2007)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

2 (2004)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock

Budget [time series]

revenues: $801.8 million expenditures: $878.3 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate [time series]

12.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate [time series]

15.84% (31 December 2007)

Exchange rates (Currency (code)) [time series]

Rwandan franc (RWF)

Current account balance [time series]

-$147 million (2007 est.)

Debt - external [time series]

$1.4 billion (2004 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]

46.8 (2000)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

Rwanda is a poor rural country with about 90% of the population engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture. It is the most densely populated country in Africa and is landlocked with few natural resources and minimal industry. Primary foreign exchange earners are coffee and tea. The 1994 genocide decimated Rwanda's fragile economic base, severely impoverished the population, particularly women, and eroded the country's ability to attract private and external investment. However, Rwanda has made substantial progress in stabilizing and rehabilitating its economy to pre-1994 levels, although poverty levels are higher now. GDP has rebounded and inflation has been curbed. Despite Rwanda's fertile ecosystem, food production often does not keep pace with population growth, requiring food imports. Rwanda continues to receive substantial aid money and obtained IMF-World Bank Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative debt relief in 2005-06. Rwanda also received Millennium Challenge Account Threshold status in 2006. The government has embraced an expansionary fiscal policy to reduce poverty by improving education, infrastructure, and foreign and domestic investment and pursuing market-oriented reforms, although energy shortages, instability in neighboring states, and lack of adequate transportation linkages to other countries continue to handicap growth.

Electricity - consumption [time series]

234.6 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports [time series]

10 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports [time series]

130 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production [time series]

134 million kWh (2006 est.)

Exchange rates [time series]

Rwandan francs (RWF) per US dollar - 585 (2007), 560 (2006), 610 (2005), 574.62 (2004), 537.66 (2003)

Exports [time series]

$184 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities [time series]

coffee, tea, hides, tin ore

Exports - partners [time series]

China 8.9%, Germany 6.8%, US 4.9%, Hong Kong 4.8% (2007)

GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]

$3.32 billion (2007 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP (purchasing power parity)) [time series]

$8.057 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 36.9% industry: 21.7% services: 41.4% (2007 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita (PPP)) [time series]

$800 (2007 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

6% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 38.2% (2000)

Imports [time series]

$637 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities [time series]

foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material

Imports - partners [time series]

Kenya 19.6%, Uganda 6.9%, Germany 6.2%, Belgium 5.9%, China 5% (2007)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

13.1% (2007 est.)

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

9.1% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed) [time series]

22% of GDP (2007 est.)

Labor force [time series]

4.6 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture: 90% industry and services: 10% (2000)

Market value of publicly traded shares [time series]

$NA

Natural gas - consumption [time series]

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports [time series]

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports [time series]

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - production [time series]

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]

56.63 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Oil - consumption [time series]

5,320 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports [time series]

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports [time series]

5,597 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - production [time series]

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - proved reserves [time series]

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold [time series]

$552.8 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of domestic credit [time series]

$209.2 million (31 December 2005)

Stock of narrow money (Stock of money) [time series]

$233.6 million (31 December 2005)

Stock of narrow money (Stock of quasi money) [time series]

$227.4 million (31 December 2005)

Unemployment rate [time series]

NA%

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 26,338 sq km land: 24,948 sq km water: 1,390 sq km

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly smaller than Maryland

Climate [time series]

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

Coastline [time series]

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Total water withdrawal (Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)) [time series]

total: 0.15 cu km/yr (24%/8%/68%) per capita: 17 cu m/yr (2000)

Geographic coordinates [time series]

2 00 S, 30 00 E

Geography - note [time series]

landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with the population predominantly rural

Irrigated land [time series]

90 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 893 km border countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 45.56% permanent crops: 10.25% other: 44.19% (2005)

Location [time series]

Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Map references [time series]

Africa

Maritime claims [time series]

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards [time series]

periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo

Natural resources [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

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

Total renewable water resources [time series]

5.2 cu km (2003)

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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)

Capital [time series]

name: Kigali geographic coordinates: 1 57 S, 30 04 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution [time series]

new constitution passed by referendum 26 May 2003

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: Republic of Rwanda conventional short form: Rwanda local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda local short form: Rwanda former: Ruanda, German East Africa

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador W. Stuart SYMINGTON embassy: 2657 Avenue de la Gendarmerie, Kigali mailing address: B. P. 28, Kigali telephone: [250] 596-400 FAX: [250] 596-591

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador James KOMONYO chancery: 1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 232-2882 FAX: [1] (202) 232-4544

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Paul KAGAME (since 22 April 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Bernard MAKUZA (since 8 March 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: President elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held 25 August 2003 (next to be held in 2010) election results: Paul KAGAME elected president in first direct popular vote; Paul KAGAME 95.05%, Faustin TWAGIRAMUNGU 3.62%, Jean-Nepomuscene NAYINZIRA 1.33%

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

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

Government type [time series]

republic; presidential, multiparty system

Independence [time series]

1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)

International organization participation [time series]

ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court; High Courts of the Republic; Provincial Courts; District Courts; mediation committees

Legal system [time series]

based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch [time series]

bicameral Parliament consists of Senate (26 seats; 12 members elected by local councils, 8 appointed by the president, 4 by the Political Organizations Forum, 2 represent institutions of higher learning; to serve eight-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies (80 seats; 53 members elected by popular vote, 24 women elected by local bodies, 3 selected by youth and disability organizations; to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - members appointed as part of the transitional government (next to be held in 2011); Chamber of Deputies - last held 15 September 2008 (next to be held September 2013) election results: percent of vote by party - RPF 78.8%, PSD 13.1%, PL 7.5%; seats by party - RPF 42, PSD 7, PL 4, additional 27 members indirectly elected

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 1 July (1962)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Centrist Democratic Party or PDC [Alfred MUKEZAMFURA]; Democratic Popular Union of Rwanda or UDPR [Adrien RANGIRA]; Democratic Republican Movement or MDR [Celestin KABANDA] (officially banned); Islamic Democratic Party or PDI [Andre BUMAYA]; Liberal Party or PL [Protais MITALI]; Party for Democratic Renewal (officially banned); Rwandan Patriotic Front or RPF [Paul KAGAME]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Vincent BIRUTA]

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

IBUKA (association of genocide survivors)

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

In 1959, three years before independence from Belgium, the majority ethnic group, the Hutus, overthrew the ruling Tutsi king. Over the next several years, thousands of Tutsis were killed, and some 150,000 driven into exile in neighboring countries. The children of these exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), and began a civil war in 1990. The war, along with several political and economic upheavals, exacerbated ethnic tensions, culminating in April 1994 in the genocide of roughly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and ended the killing in July 1994, but approximately 2 million Hutu refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zaire. Since then, most of the refugees have returned to Rwanda, but several thousand remained in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC; the former Zaire) and formed an extremist insurgency bent on retaking Rwanda, much as the RPF tried in 1990. Despite substantial international assistance and political reforms - including Rwanda's first local elections in March 1999 and its first post-genocide presidential and legislative elections in August and September 2003 - the country continues to struggle to boost investment and agricultural output, and ethnic reconciliation is complicated by the real and perceived Tutsi political dominance. Kigali's increasing centralization and intolerance of dissent, the nagging Hutu extremist insurgency across the border, and Rwandan involvement in two wars in recent years in the neighboring DRC continue to hinder Rwanda's efforts to escape its bloody legacy.

Military

Manpower available for military service [time series]

males age 16-49: 2,430,469 females age 16-49: 2,392,933 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service [time series]

males age 16-49: 1,404,066 females age 16-49: 1,403,700 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually [time series]

male: 111,791 female: 112,131 (2008 est.)

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Rwandan Defense Forces: Army, Air Force

Military expenditures [time series]

2.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Military service age and obligation [time series]

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 41.9% (male 2,143,479/female 2,124,588) 15-64 years: 55.7% (male 2,826,557/female 2,842,020) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 99,721/female 149,698) (2008 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

39.97 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate [time series]

14.46 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]

3.8% of GDP (2005)

Ethnic groups [time series]

Hutu (Bantu) 84%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 15%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

5.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

22,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

250,000 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 83.42 deaths/1,000 live births male: 88.53 deaths/1,000 live births female: 78.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Languages [time series]

Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 49.76 years male: 48.56 years female: 51 years (2008 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 70.4% male: 76.3% female: 64.7% (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases [time series]

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)

Median age [time series]

total: 18.7 years male: 18.5 years female: 18.9 years (2008 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Rwandan(s) adjective: Rwandan

Net migration rate [time series]

2.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

People - note [time series]

Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa

Population [time series]

10,186,063 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

2.779% (2008 est.)

Religions [time series]

Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim 4.6%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) [time series]

total: 9 years male: 8 years female: 9 years (2005)

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

5.31 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

fighting among ethnic groups - loosely associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces in Great Lakes region transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda - abated substantially from a decade ago due largely to UN peacekeeping, international mediation, and efforts by local governments to create civil societies; nonetheless, 57,000 Rwandan refugees still reside in 21 African states, including Zambia, Gabon, and 20,000 who fled to Burundi in 2005 and 2006 to escape drought and recriminations from traditional courts investigating the 1994 massacres; the 2005 DROC and Rwanda border verification mechanism to stem rebel actions on both sides of the border remains in place

Refugees and internally displaced persons [time series]

refugees (country of origin): 46,272 (Democratic Republic of the Congo); 4,400 (Burundi) (2007)

Transportation

Airports [time series]

9 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]

Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye

Roadways [time series]

total: 14,008 km paved: 2,662 km unpaved: 11,346 km (2004)

Waterways [time series]

Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft (2006)