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"

Costa Rica

name: San Jose

geographic coordinates: 9 56 N, 84 05 W

time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: named in honor of Saint Joseph

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

Costa Rica

citizenship by birth: yes

citizenship by descent only: yes

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: 7 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

Costa Rica

civil law system based on Spanish civil code; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court

Suffrage

Ruanda

18 years of age; universal

Costa Rica

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Area

Ruanda

total: 26,338 sq km

land: 24,668 sq km

water: 1,670 sq km

Costa Rica

total: 51,100 sq km

land: 51,060 sq km

water: 40 sq km

note: includes Isla del Coco

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.)

Costa Rica

agricultural land: 37.1% (2018 est.)

arable land: 4.9% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 6.7% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 25.5% (2018 est.)

forest: 51.5% (2018 est.)

other: 11.4% (2018 est.)

Location

Ruanda

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

Costa Rica

Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama

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)

Costa Rica

0-14 years: 21.49% (male 577,782/female 552,041)

15-64 years: 68.59% (male 1,813,827/female 1,791,510)

65 years and over: 9.92% (2023 est.) (male 238,971/female 282,481)

Birth rate

Ruanda

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

Costa Rica

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

Death rate

Ruanda

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

Costa Rica

5.5 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.

Costa Rica

Spanish (official), English

major-language sample(s):
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)

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

Costa Rica

total population: 79.6 years (2023 est.)

male: 77 years

female: 82.4 years

Major urban areas - population

Ruanda

1.248 million KIGALI (capital) (2023)

Costa Rica

1.462 million SAN JOSE (capital) (2023)

Median age

Ruanda

total: 20.5 years (2023 est.)

male: 19.8 years

female: 21.2 years

Costa Rica

total: 35 years (2023 est.)

male: 34.4 years

female: 35.6 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.)

Costa Rica

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

Costa Rica

roughly half of the nation's population resides in urban areas; the capital of San Jose is the largest city and home to approximately one-fifth of the population

Population growth rate

Ruanda

1.68% (2023 est.)

Costa Rica

0.72% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Ruanda

3.23 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Costa Rica

1.4 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.)

Costa Rica

urban population: 82.6% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 1.5% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Ruanda

3.8% of GDP (2021 est.)

Costa Rica

6.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Ruanda

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 11 years (2019)

Costa Rica

total: 17 years

male: 16 years

female: 17 years (2019)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Ruanda

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

Costa Rica

-6.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Ruanda

13.4% (2021 est.)

Costa Rica

9.83% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Ruanda

6.776 million (2021 est.)

Costa Rica

2.426 million (2021 est.)

note: official estimate; excludes Nicaraguans living in Costa Rica

Population below poverty line

Ruanda

38.2% (2016 est.)

Costa Rica

21% (2019 est.)

Unemployment rate

Ruanda

1.61% (2021 est.)

1.49% (2020 est.)

1.1% (2019 est.)

Costa Rica

17.95% (2021 est.)

17.41% (2020 est.)

11.49% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Ruanda

40.5% of GDP (2017 est.)

37.3% of GDP (2016 est.)

Costa Rica

48.9% of GDP (2017 est.)

44.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Ruanda

-0.39% (2021 est.)

9.85% (2020 est.)

3.35% (2019 est.)

Costa Rica

1.73% (2021 est.)

0.72% (2020 est.)

2.1% (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.)

Costa Rica

$23.761 billion (2021 est.)

$19.996 billion (2020 est.)

$22.738 billion (2019 est.)

note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.

Exports - partners

Ruanda

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

Costa Rica

United States 38%, Netherlands 6%, Belgium 5%, Guatemala 5%, Panama 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.)

Costa Rica

$22.298 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$17.701 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$20.314 billion (2019 est.)

Imports - partners

Ruanda

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

Costa Rica

United States 41%, China 13%, Mexico 7% (2019)

Airports

Ruanda

7 (2021)

Costa Rica

161 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Ruanda

total: 17,685 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.1 (2020 est.)

Costa Rica

total: 992,725 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 20 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Ruanda

total: 3.9 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 30% (2021 est.)

Costa Rica

total: 4.316 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 83% (2021 est.)

Costa Rica

total: 278 km (2014)

narrow gauge: 278 km (2014) 1.067-m gauge

note: the entire rail network fell into disrepair and out of use at the end of the 20th century; since 2005, certain sections of rail have been rehabilitated

Roadways

Ruanda

total: 4,700 km (2012)

paved: 1,207 km (2012)

unpaved: 3,493 km (2012)

Costa Rica

total: 5,035 km (2017)

Telephones - fixed lines

Ruanda

total subscriptions: 11,893 (2021 est.)

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

Costa Rica

total subscriptions: 553,455 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 11 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Ruanda

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

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 81 (2021 est.)

Costa Rica

total subscriptions: 7,834,435 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 152 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Ruanda

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

Costa Rica

730 km (2011) (seasonally navigable by small 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

Costa Rica

Costa Rica and Nicaragua regularly file border dispute cases over the delimitations of the San Juan River and the northern tip of Calero Island to the International Court of Justice (ICJ); in 2009, the ICJ ruled that Costa Rican vessels carrying out police activities could not use the river, but official Costa Rican vessels providing essential services to riverside inhabitants and Costa Rican tourists could travel freely on the river; in 2011, the ICJ provisionally ruled that both countries must remove personnel from the disputed area; in 2013, the ICJ rejected Nicaragua's 2012 suit to halt Costa Rica's construction of a highway paralleling the river on the grounds of irreparable environmental damage; in 2013, the ICJ, regarding the disputed territory, ordered that Nicaragua should refrain from dredging or canal construction and refill and repair damage caused by trenches connecting the river to the Caribbean and upheld its 2010 ruling that Nicaragua must remove all personnel; in early 2014, Costa Rica brought Nicaragua to the ICJ over offshore oil concessions in the disputed region