Capital

Ruanda

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"

Citizenship

Ruanda

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

Legal system

Ruanda

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

Suffrage

Ruanda

18 years of age; universal

Area

Ruanda

total: 26,338 sq km

land: 24,668 sq km

water: 1,670 sq km

Land use

Ruanda

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.)

Location

Ruanda

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

Age structure

Ruanda

0-14 years: 37.95% (male 2,569,106/female 2,515,849)

15-64 years: 59.1% (male 3,844,259/female 4,075,978)

65 years and over: 2.95% (2023 est.) (male 158,647/female 236,702)

Birth rate

Ruanda

25.7 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Ruanda

5.8 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Ruanda

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.

Life expectancy at birth

Ruanda

total population: 66.2 years (2023 est.)

male: 64.2 years

female: 68.2 years

Major urban areas - population

Ruanda

1.248 million KIGALI (capital) (2023)

Median age

Ruanda

total: 20.5 years (2023 est.)

male: 19.8 years

female: 21.2 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Ruanda

23 years (2019/20 est.)

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

Net migration rate

Ruanda

-3.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Ruanda

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

Population growth rate

Ruanda

1.68% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Ruanda

3.23 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Ruanda

urban population: 17.9% of total population (2023)

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

Education expenditures

Ruanda

3.8% of GDP (2021 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Ruanda

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 11 years (2019)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Ruanda

-4.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Ruanda

13.4% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Ruanda

6.776 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Ruanda

38.2% (2016 est.)

Unemployment rate

Ruanda

1.61% (2021 est.)

1.49% (2020 est.)

1.1% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Ruanda

40.5% of GDP (2017 est.)

37.3% of GDP (2016 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Ruanda

-0.39% (2021 est.)

9.85% (2020 est.)

3.35% (2019 est.)

Exports

Ruanda

$2.11 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$1.929 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$2.255 billion (2019 est.)

Exports - partners

Ruanda

United Arab Emirates 35%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 28%, Uganda 5% (2019)

Imports

Ruanda

$3.856 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$3.578 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$3.737 billion (2019 est.)

Imports - partners

Ruanda

China 17%, Kenya 10%, Tanzania 9%, United Arab Emirates 9%, India 7%, Saudi Arabia 5% (2019)

Airports

Ruanda

7 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Ruanda

total: 17,685 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.1 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Ruanda

total: 3.9 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 30% (2021 est.)

Roadways

Ruanda

total: 4,700 km (2012)

paved: 1,207 km (2012)

unpaved: 3,493 km (2012)

Telephones - fixed lines

Ruanda

total subscriptions: 11,893 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2021 est.) less than 1

Telephones - mobile cellular

Ruanda

total subscriptions: 10,902,989 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 81 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Ruanda

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

Disputes - international

Ruanda

Rwanda-Burundi: Burundi's Ngozi province and Rwanda's Butare province dispute the two-kilometer-square hilly farmed area of Sabanerwa in the Rukurazi Valley where the Akanyaru/Kanyaru River shifted its course southward after heavy rains in 1965 around Kibinga Hill in Rwanda's Butare Province

Rwanda-Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): the 2005 DRC and Rwanda border verification mechanism to stem rebel actions on both sides of the border remains in place

Rwanda-Uganda: a joint technical committee established in 2007 to demarcate sections of the border