ARCHIVE // RW // 2015
Rwanda
2015 Edition — sovereign
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Communications
Broadcast media
[time series]
government owns and operates the only TV station; government-owned and operated Radio Rwanda has a national reach; 9 private radio stations; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available (2007)
Internet country code
[time series]
.rw
Internet users
[time series]
total: 1.1 million | percent of population: 9.2% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 120
Broadcast media
(Radio broadcast stations)
[time series]
AM 0, FM 10 (two main FM programs are broadcast through a system of repeaters; international FM programming includes the BBC, VOA, and Deutchewelle) (2007)
Telecommunication systems
(Telephone system)
[time series]
general assessment: small, inadequate telephone system primarily serves business, education, and government | domestic: the capital, Kigali, is connected to provincial centers 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 has increased and now exceeds 40 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) (2010)
Telephones - fixed lines
[time series]
total subscriptions: 49,600 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 163
Telephones - mobile cellular
[time series]
total: 7.7 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 63 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 98
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: $1.953 billion | expenditures: $2.249 billion (2014 est.)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)
[time series]
-3.7% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 133
Central bank discount rate
[time series]
7.75% (31 December 2010) | 11.25% (31 December 2008) | country comparison to the world: 39
Commercial bank prime lending rate
[time series]
17.2% (31 December 2014 est.) | 17.3% (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 27
Current account balance
[time series]
-$964 million (2014 est.) | -$562 million (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 108
Debt - external
[time series]
$1.901 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $1.8 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 147
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
(Distribution of family income - Gini index)
[time series]
46.8 (2000) | 28.9 (1985) | country comparison to the world: 28
Economic overview
(Economy - overview)
[time series]
Rwanda is a rural country with about 90% of the population engaged in subsistence agriculture and some mineral and agro-processing. Tourism, minerals, coffee and tea are Rwanda's main sources of foreign exchange. The 1994 genocide decimated Rwanda's fragile economic base, severely impoverished the population, particularly women, and temporarily stalled 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. GDP has rebounded with an average annual growth of 7%-8% since 2003 and inflation has been reduced to single digits. Nonetheless, a significant percent of the population still live below the official poverty line; 45% of the population now lives below the poverty line, compared to 57% in 2006. Despite Rwanda's fertile ecosystem, food production often does not keep pace with demand, requiring food imports In recognition of Rwanda's successful management of its macro economy, in 2010, the IMF graduated Rwanda to a Policy Support Instrument (PSI). Africa's most densely populated country is trying to overcome the limitations of its small, landlocked economy by leveraging regional trade; Rwanda joined the East African Community and is aligning its budget, trade, and immigration policies with its regional partners. 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. Energy shortages, instability in neighboring states, and lack of adequate transportation linkages to other countries continue to handicap private sector growth. The Rwandan Government is seeking to become regional leader in information and communication technologies. In 2012, Rwanda completed the first modern Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Kigali. The SEZ seeks to attract investment in all sectors, but specifically in agribusiness, information and communications technologies, trade and logistics, mining, and construction.
Exchange rates
[time series]
Rwandan francs (RWF) per US dollar - | 684.3 (2014 est.) | 644.4 (2013 est.) | 616.6 (2012 est.) | 601.83 (2011 est.) | 583.13 (2010 est.)
Exports
[time series]
$720 million (2014 est.) | $703 million (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 168
Exports - commodities
[time series]
coffee, tea, hides, tin ore
Exports - partners
[time series]
China 18.7%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 16.1%, Malaysia 10.3%, Thailand 8.6%, US 8.2%, Swaziland 6.4%, Germany 5.8%, Pakistan 5% (2014)
Fiscal year
[time series]
calendar year
GDP (official exchange rate)
[time series]
$8.012 billion (2014 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
(GDP (purchasing power parity))
[time series]
$18.84 billion (2014 est.) | $17.61 billion (2013 est.) | $16.82 billion (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 144
GDP - composition, by end use
[time series]
household consumption: 82.6% | government consumption: 9.6% | investment in fixed capital: 24.2% | investment in inventories: 0% | exports of goods and services: 17% | imports of goods and services: -33.5% | (2014 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
[time series]
agriculture: 32.5% | industry: 14.8% | services: 52.7% (2014 est.)
Real GDP per capita
(GDP - per capita (PPP))
[time series]
$1,700 (2014 est.) | $1,600 (2013 est.) | $1,500 (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 211
Real GDP growth rate
(GDP - real growth rate)
[time series]
7% (2014 est.) | 4.7% (2013 est.) | 8.8% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 34
Gross national saving
[time series]
13.2% of GDP (2014 est.) | 19.4% of GDP (2013 est.) | 14.6% of GDP (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 140
Household income or consumption by percentage share
[time series]
lowest 10%: 2.1% | highest 10%: 43.2% (2011 est.)
Imports
[time series]
$1.898 billion (2014 est.) | $1.852 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 168
Imports - commodities
[time series]
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material
Imports - partners
[time series]
Uganda 15.6%, Kenya 11.8%, India 9.8%, China 8.3%, UAE 8.3%, Tanzania 5%, Belgium 5% (2014)
Industrial production growth rate
[time series]
7.1% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 28
Industries
[time series]
cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
[time series]
1.8% (2014 est.) | 4.2% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 90
Labor force
[time series]
6.061 million (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 68
Labor force - by occupation
[time series]
agriculture: 90% | industry and services: 10% (2000)
Market value of publicly traded shares
[time series]
$NA
Population below poverty line
[time series]
44.9% (2011 est.)
Public debt
[time series]
31.4% of GDP (2014 est.) | 29.7% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 121
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
[time series]
$1.128 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $1.071 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 131
Stock of broad money
[time series]
$1.387 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $1.245 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 163
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad
[time series]
$12.9 million (31 December 2014 est.) | $12.9 million (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 98
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home
[time series]
$1.016 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $853.9 million (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 105
Stock of domestic credit
[time series]
$1.141 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $846.8 million (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 155
Stock of narrow money
[time series]
$833 million (31 December 2014 est.) | $739.5 million (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 155
Taxes and other revenues
[time series]
24.4% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 121
Unemployment rate
[time series]
NA%
Energy
Carbon dioxide emissions
(Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy)
[time series]
769,300 Mt (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 172
Crude oil - exports
[time series]
0 bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 174
Crude oil - imports
[time series]
0 bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 114
Crude oil - production
[time series]
10 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 122
Crude oil - proved reserves
[time series]
0 bbl (1 January 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 181
Electricity - consumption
[time series]
352.2 million kWh (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 173
Electricity - exports
[time series]
5 million kWh (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 95
Electricity - from fossil fuels
[time series]
39.9% of total installed capacity (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 169
Electricity - from hydroelectric plants
[time series]
59.8% of total installed capacity (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 35
Electricity - from nuclear fuels
[time series]
0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 171
Electricity - from other renewable sources
[time series]
0.3% of total installed capacity (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 95
Electricity - imports
[time series]
78 million kWh (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 97
Electricity - installed generating capacity
[time series]
684,000 kW (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 134
Electricity - production
[time series]
300.2 million kWh (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 178
Natural gas - consumption
[time series]
0 cu m (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 188
Natural gas - exports
[time series]
0 cu m (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 170
Natural gas - imports
[time series]
0 cu m (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 123
Natural gas - production
[time series]
0 cu m (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 185
Natural gas - proved reserves
[time series]
56.63 billion cu m (1 January 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 62
Refined petroleum products - consumption
[time series]
5,320 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 167
Refined petroleum products - exports
[time series]
0 bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 211
Refined petroleum products - imports
[time series]
5,302 bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 148
Refined petroleum products - production
[time series]
0 bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 188
Geography
Area
[time series]
total: 26,338 sq km | land: 24,668 sq km | water: 1,670 sq km | country comparison to the world: 149
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 (33%/11%/55%) | per capita: 17.25 cu m/yr (2005)
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]
96.25 sq km (2007)
Land boundaries
[time series]
total: 930 km | border countries (4): Burundi 315 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 221 km, Tanzania 222 km, Uganda 172 km
Land use
[time series]
agricultural land: 74.5% | arable land 47%; permanent crops 10.1%; permanent pasture 17.4% | forest: 18% | other: 7.5% (2011 est.)
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 | volcanism: Visoke (elev. 3,711 m), located on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is the country's only historically active volcano
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]
9.5 cu km (2011)
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 03 E | time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Constitution
[time series]
several previous; latest adopted by referendum 26 May 2003, effective 4 June 2003; amended several times, last in 2010 (2013)
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 Erica BARKS-RUGGLES (since 26 January 2015) | 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 Mathilde MUKANTABANA (since 5 July 2013) | chancery: 1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 418, Washington, DC, 2000 | 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 Anastase MUREKEZI (since 24 July 2014) | cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president | elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 9 August 2010 (next to be held in 2017); prime minister appointed by the president | election results: Paul KAGAME reelected president; Paul KAGAME (RPF) 93.1%, Jean NTAWUKURIRYAYO (PSD) 5.1%, other 1.8%
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; 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
Government type
[time series]
republic; presidential, multiparty system
Independence
[time series]
1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)
International law organization participation
[time series]
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
International organization participation
[time series]
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, 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, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Judicial branch
[time series]
highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the court president, vice president, and 12 judges; normally organized into 3-judge benches) | note: the Gacaca Court was established in 2001 by the National Unity Government to try cases of genocide against the Tutsis | judge selection and term of office: judges nominated by the president of the republic after consultation with the Cabinet and the Superior Council of the Judiciary (a 14-member body of judges, other judicial officials, and legal professionals), and approved by the Senate; court president and vice president appointed for 8-year nonrenewable terms; tenure of other judges NA | subordinate courts: High Court of the Republic; commercial courts including the High Commercial Court; intermediate courts; primary courts; Gacaca and military specialized courts
Legal system
[time series]
mixed legal system of civil law, based on German and Belgian models, and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court
Legislative branch
[time series]
description: bicameral Parliament consists of the 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) and the Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (80 seats; 53 members directly elected by proportional representation vote, 24 women elected by special interest groups, and 3 selected by youth and disability organizations; members serve 5-year terms) | elections: Senate - NA; Chamber of Deputies - last held on 16-18 September 2013 (next to be held in 2018) | election results: Chamber of Deputies percent of vote by party - RPF 76.2%, PSD 13%, PL 9.3%, other 1.5%; seats by party - RPF 41, PSD 7, PL 5, 27 members indirectly elected
National anthem(s)
(National anthem)
[time series]
name: "Rwanda nziza" (Rwanda, Our Beautiful Country) | lyrics/music: Faustin MURIGO/Jean-Bosco HASHAKAIMANA | note: adopted 2001
National holiday
[time series]
Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
National symbol(s)
[time series]
traditional woven basket with peaked lid; national colors: blue, yellow, green
Political parties
(Political parties and leaders)
[time series]
Liberal Party or PL [Protais MITALI] | Party for Progress and Concord or PPC [Christian MARARA] | 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 a state-orchestrated genocide, in which Rwandans killed up to a million 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. Approximately 2 million Hutu refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and former 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 did in 1990. Rwanda held its first local elections in 1999 and its first post-genocide presidential and legislative elections in 2003. Rwanda in 2009 staged a joint military operation with the Congolese Army in DRC to rout out the Hutu extremist insurgency there, and Kigali and Kinshasa restored diplomatic relations. Rwanda also joined the Commonwealth in late 2009 and assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2013-14 term.
Military
Manpower available for military service
[time series]
males age 16-49: 2,625,917 | females age 16-49: 2,608,110 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
[time series]
males age 16-49: 1,685,066 | females age 16-49: 1,749,580 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually
[time series]
male: 110,736 | female: 110,328 (2010 est.)
Military and security forces
(Military branches)
[time series]
Rwanda Defense Force (RDF): Rwanda Army (Rwanda Land Force), Rwanda Air Force (Force Aerienne Rwandaise, FAR) (2013)
Military expenditures
[time series]
1.12% of GDP (2012) | 1.19% of GDP (2011) | 1.12% of GDP (2010) | country comparison to the world: 91
Military service age and obligation
[time series]
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; Rwandan citizenship is required, as is a 9th-grade education for enlisted recruits and an A-level certificate for officer candidates; enlistment is either as contract (5-years, renewable twice) or career; retirement (for officers and senior NCOs) after 20 years of service or at 40-60 years of age (2012)
People and Society
Age structure
[time series]
0-14 years: 41.83% (male 2,670,040/female 2,626,646) | 15-24 years: 18.86% (male 1,193,523/female 1,193,953) | 25-54 years: 32.72% (male 2,077,406/female 2,065,261) | 55-64 years: 4.07% (male 239,924/female 274,829) | 65 years and over: 2.53% (male 131,613/female 188,538) (2015 est.)
Birth rate
[time series]
33.75 births/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 30
Child labor - children ages 5-14
[time series]
total number: 783,113 | percentage: 35% (2000 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
[time series]
11.7% (2011) | country comparison to the world: 63
Contraceptive prevalence rate
[time series]
51.6% (2010/11)
Death rate
[time series]
8.96 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 69
Dependency ratios
[time series]
total dependency ratio: 78.1% | youth dependency ratio: 73.1% | elderly dependency ratio: 5% | potential support ratio: 20.1% (2015 est.)
Drinking water source
[time series]
urban: 86.6% of population | rural: 71.9% of population | total: 76.1% of population | urban: 13.4% of population | rural: 28.1% of population | total: 23.9% of population (2015 est.)
Education expenditure
(Education expenditures)
[time series]
5.1% of GDP (2013) | country comparison to the world: 73
Ethnic groups
[time series]
Hutu (Bantu) 84%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 15%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
[time series]
2.82% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 21
HIV/AIDS - deaths
[time series]
3,000 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 45
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
[time series]
210,500 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 29
Health expenditure
(Health expenditures)
[time series]
11.1% of GDP (2013) | country comparison to the world: 18
Hospital bed density
[time series]
1.6 beds/1,000 population (2007)
Infant mortality rate
[time series]
total: 58.19 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 61.68 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 54.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 23
Languages
[time series]
Kinyarwanda only (official, universal Bantu vernacular) 93.2%, Kinyarwanda and other language(s) 6.2%, French (official) and other language(s) 0.1%, English (official) and other language(s) 0.1%, Swahili (or Kiswahili, used in commercial centers) 0.02%, other 0.03%, unspecified 0.3% (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
[time series]
total population: 59.67 years | male: 58.11 years | female: 61.27 years (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 199
Literacy
[time series]
definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 70.5% | male: 73.2% | female: 68% (2015 est.)
Major infectious diseases
[time series]
degree of risk: very high | food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever | vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever | animal contact disease: rabies (2013)
Major urban areas - population
[time series]
KIGALI (capital) 1.257 million (2015)
Median age
[time series]
total: 18.8 years | male: 18.6 years | female: 19 years (2015 est.)
Nationality
[time series]
noun: Rwandan(s) | adjective: Rwandan
Net migration rate
[time series]
0.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 66
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
[time series]
3.3% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 170
People - note
[time series]
Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa
Physician density
(Physicians density)
[time series]
0.06 physicians/1,000 population (2010)
Population
[time series]
12,661,733 | 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 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 74
Population growth rate
[time series]
2.56% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 22
Religions
[time series]
Roman Catholic 49.5%, Protestant 39.4% (includes Adventist 12.2% and other Protestant 27.2%), other Christian 4.5%, Muslim 1.8%, animist 0.1%, other 0.6%, none 3.6% (2001), unspecified 0.5% (2002 est.)
Sanitation facility access
[time series]
urban: 58.5% of population | rural: 62.9% of population | total: 61.6% of population | urban: 41.5% of population | rural: 37.1% of population | total: 38.4% of population (2015 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
[time series]
total: 10 years | male: 10 years | female: 10 years (2013)
Sex ratio
[time series]
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.87 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female | total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2015 est.)
Total fertility rate
[time series]
4.53 children born/woman (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 27
Urbanization
[time series]
urban population: 28.8% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 6.43% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
[time series]
Burundi and Rwanda dispute two sq km (0.8 sq mi) of Sabanerwa, a farmed area in the Rukurazi Valley where the Akanyaru/Kanyaru River shifted its course southward after heavy rains in 1965; 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 (DROC), 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): 73,915 (Democratic Republic of the Congo); 69,316 (Burundi) (2015) | IDPs: undetermined (fighting between government and insurgency in 1998-99; returning refugees) (2012)
Trafficking in persons
[time series]
current situation: Rwanda is a source and, to a lesser extent, transit and destination country for women and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; Rwandan girls and, to a lesser extent, boys are exploited in domestic servitude within the country; Rwandan adults and children are forced to work in agriculture, industry, domestic servitude, and prostitution in Kenya, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Burundi, Zambia, South Africa, UAE, Malaysia, China, the US, and Europe; women and children from neighboring countries and Somalia are subjected to prostitution and forced labor in Rwanda; until its defeat in late 2013, M23, an armed group operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, recruited men and children with the support of some Rwandan officials | tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List – Rwanda does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; in 2013, the government maintained strong efforts to investigate and prosecute some trafficking crimes but convicted no offenders and remained complicit in human trafficking crimes through its support of M23; the government opened five additional centers for assisting victims of gender-based violence and provided financial support to private and NGO-run child rehabilitation centers (2014)
Transportation
Airports
[time series]
7 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 167
Airports - with paved runways
[time series]
total: 4 | over 3,047 m: 1 | 914 to 1,523 m: 2 | under 914 m: 1 (2013)
Airports - with unpaved runways
[time series]
total: 3 | 914 to 1,523 m: 2 | 1 (2013)
Ports
(Ports and terminals)
[time series]
lake port(s): Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye (Lake Kivu)
Roadways
[time series]
total: 4,700 km | paved: 1,207 km | unpaved: 3,493 km (2012) | country comparison to the world: 153
Waterways
[time series]
(Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft) (2011)