Rwanda

Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Pp-move Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox country

Rwanda,Template:Efn officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Known as the "Land of a Thousand Hills" for its high elevation and rolling terrain, its geography is dominated by mountains in the west and savanna in the southeast. The largest and most notable lakes are mainly in the western and northern regions of the country, and several volcanoes that form part of the Virunga volcanic chain are primarily in the northwest. The climate is considered tropical highland, with two rainy seasons and two dry seasons each year. Its capital and largest city is Kigali, located at the centre of the country, at 1,567 metres above sea level.

Rwanda lies a few degrees south of the Equator in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes and Southeast Africa converge. Going clockwise Rwanda is bordered by Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west.

With a population of about 14 million people living within a total area of Template:Convert, of which land accounts for about 93.7%, Rwanda is the 21st most densely populated country in the world, with an average of about Template:Nowrap (Template:Nowrap).

Hunter-gatherers settled the territory in the Stone and Iron Ages, followed later by Bantu peoples. The population coalesced first into clans, and then into kingdoms. In the 15th century, one kingdom, under King Gihanga, managed to incorporate several of its close neighbor territories establishing the Kingdom of Rwanda. The Kingdom of Rwanda dominated from the mid-eighteenth century, with its Tutsi kings conquering others militarily, centralising power, and enacting unifying policies. In 1897, Germany colonized Rwanda as part of German East Africa, followed by Belgium, which took control in 1916 during World War I. Both European nations ruled through the Rwandan king and perpetuated a pro-Tutsi policy.

The Hutu population revolted in 1959. They massacred numerous Tutsi and ultimately established an independent, Hutu-dominated republic in 1962 led by President Grégoire Kayibanda. A 1973 military coup overthrew Kayibanda and brought Juvénal Habyarimana to power, who retained the pro-Hutu policy. The Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) launched a civil war in 1990. Habyarimana was assassinated in April 1994 by unknown parties. Social tensions erupted in the Rwandan genocide carried out by Hutu Power extremists against the Tutsis. RPF ended the genocide with a military victory in July 1994.

Rwanda has been governed by the RPF as a de facto one-party state since 1994 with former commander Paul Kagame as president since 2000. The country has been governed by a series of centralized authoritarian governments since precolonial times. Although Rwanda has low levels of corruption compared with neighbouring countries, it ranks among the lowest in international measurements of government transparency and civil liberties, despite recent gains that have elevated it to the medium category on the Human Development Index. The population is young and predominantly rural; Rwanda has one of the youngest populations in the world. Rwandans are drawn from just one cultural and linguistic group, the Banyarwanda. However, within this group there are three subgroups: the Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa. The Twa are a forest-dwelling Central African foragers and are often considered descendants of Rwanda's earliest inhabitants. Christianity is the largest religion in the country; the principal and national language is Kinyarwanda, spoken by native Rwandans, with English, French, and Swahili serving as additional official foreign languages.

Rwanda's economy is based on services, agricultural exports, and manufacturing. Coffee and tea are the major cash crops that it exports, although it is surpassed in banana production. Tourism is a fast-growing sector and is now the country's leading foreign exchange earner. As of the most recent survey in 2024, 30.5% of the population is affected by multidimensional poverty with 27.4% under the national poverty line. The country is a member of the African Union, the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations (one of few member states that does not have any historical links with the British Empire), COMESA, OIF, and the East African Community.

Etymology

The name Rwanda derives from the word Ku-aanda, meaning "expansion" or "spreading out from the centre", reflecting the historical growth of the Kingdom of Rwanda.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Template:Main Modern human settlement of what is now Rwanda dates from, at the latest, the last glacial period, either in the Neolithic period around 8,000 BC, or in the long humid period which followed, up to around 3,000 BC.Template:Sfn Archaeological excavations have revealed evidence of sparse settlement by hunter-gatherers in the late Stone Age, followed by a larger population of early Iron Age settlers, who produced dimpled pottery and iron tools.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn These early inhabitants were the ancestors of the Twa, aboriginal pygmy hunter-gatherers who remain in Rwanda today. Then by 3,000 BC, Central Sudanic and Kuliak farmers and herders began settling into Rwanda, followed by South Cushitic–speaking herders in 2,000 BC.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Sfn The forest-dwelling Twa lost much of their habitat and moved to the mountain slopes.Template:Sfn Between 800 BC and 1500 AD, a number of Bantu groups migrated into Rwanda, clearing forest land for agriculture.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Historians have several theories regarding the nature of the Bantu migrations; one theory is that the first settlers were Hutu, while the Tutsi migrated later to form a distinct racial group, possibly of Nilo-hamitic origin.Template:Sfn An alternative theory is that the migration was slow and steady, with incoming groups integrating into rather than conquering the existing society.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Under this theory, the Hutu and Tutsi distinction arose later and was a class distinction rather than a racial one.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

The earliest form of social organisation in the area was the clan (ubwoko).Template:Sfn The clans were not limited to genealogical lineages or geographical area, and most included Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa.Template:Sfn From the 15th century, the clans began to merge into kingdoms.Template:Sfn One kingdom, under King Gihanga, managed to incorporate several of its close neighbor territories establishing the Kingdom of Rwanda. By 1700, around eight kingdoms had existed in the present-day Rwanda.Template:Sfn One of these, the Kingdom of Rwanda ruled by the Tutsi Nyiginya clan, became increasingly dominant from the mid-18th century.Template:Sfn The kingdom reached its greatest extent during the 19th century under the reign of King Kigeli Rwabugiri. Rwabugiri conquered several smaller states, expanded the kingdom west and north,Template:Sfn Template:Sfn and initiated administrative reforms; these included Template:Lang, in which Tutsi patrons ceded cattle, and therefore privileged status, to Hutu or Tutsi clients in exchange for economic and personal service,Template:Sfn and Template:Lang, a corvée system in which Hutu were forced to work for Tutsi chiefs.Template:Sfn Rwabugiri's changes caused a rift to grow between the Hutu and Tutsi populations.Template:Sfn The Twa were better off than in pre-Kingdom days, with some becoming dancers in the royal court,Template:Sfn but their numbers continued to decline.Template:Sfn

The Berlin Conference of 1884 assigned the territory to the German Empire, who declared it to be part of German East Africa. In 1894, explorer Gustav Adolf von Götzen was the first European to cross the entire territory of Rwanda; he crossed from the south-east to Lake Kivu and met the king.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn In 1897, Germany established a presence in Rwanda with the formation of an alliance with the king, beginning the colonial era.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Germans did not significantly alter the social structure of the country, but exerted influence by supporting the king and the existing hierarchy, and delegating power to local chiefs.Template:Sfn<ref>See also Helmut Strizek, "Geschenkte Kolonien: Ruanda und Burundi unter deutscher Herrschaft", Berlin: Ch. Links Verlag, 2006</ref>

Belgian forces invaded Rwanda and Burundi in 1916, during World War I, and later, in 1922, they started to rule both Rwanda and Burundi as a League of Nations mandate called Ruanda-Urundi and started a period of more direct colonial rule.Template:Sfn The Belgians simplified and centralised the power structure,Template:Sfn introduced large-scale projects in education, health, public works, and agricultural supervision, including new crops and improved agricultural techniques to try to reduce the incidence of famine.Template:Sfn Both the Germans and the Belgians, in the wake of New Imperialism, promoted Tutsi supremacy, considering the Hutu and Tutsi different races.Template:Sfn In 1935, Belgium introduced an identity card system, which labelled each individual as either Tutsi, Hutu, Twa or Naturalised. While it had been previously possible for particularly wealthy Hutu to become honorary Tutsi, the identity cards prevented any further movement between the classes.Template:Sfn

Belgium continued to rule Ruanda-Urundi (of which Rwanda formed the northern part) as a UN trust territory after the Second World War, with a mandate to oversee eventual independence.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Tensions escalated between the Tutsi, who favoured early independence, and the Hutu emancipation movement, culminating in the 1959 Rwandan Revolution: Hutu activists began killing Tutsi and destroying their houses,Template:Sfn forcing more than 100,000 people to seek refuge in neighbouring countries.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn In 1961, the suddenly pro-Hutu Belgians held a referendum in which the country voted to abolish the monarchy. Rwanda was separated from Burundi and gained independence on 1 July 1962,Template:Sfn which is commemorated as Independence Day, a national holiday.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Cycles of violence followed, with mainly Tutsi exile rebels attacking from neighbouring countries and the Hutu-led government retaliating with large-scale slaughter and repression of the Tutsi civilians inside Rwanda.Template:Sfn In 1973, Juvénal Habyarimana took power in a military coup. Pro-Hutu discrimination continued, but there was greater economic prosperity and a reduced amount of violence against the Tutsi.Template:Sfn The Twa remained marginalised, and by 1990 were almost entirely forced out of the forests by the government; many became beggars.Template:Sfn Rwanda's population had increased from 1.6 million people in 1934 to 7.1 million in 1989, leading to competition for land.Template:Sfn

In 1990, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a rebel group composed of Tutsi refugees, invaded northern Rwanda from their base in Uganda, initiating the Rwandan Civil War.Template:Sfn The group condemned the Hutu-dominated government for failing to democratize and confront the problems facing these refugees. Neither side was able to gain a decisive advantage in the war,Template:Sfn but by 1992 it had weakened Habyarimana's authority; mass demonstrations forced him into a coalition with the domestic opposition and eventually to sign the 1993 Arusha Accords with the RPF.Template:Sfn

Rwandan genocide

Template:Main The cease-fire ended on 6 April 1994 when Habyarimana's plane was shot down near Kigali Airport, killing him.Template:Sfn The shooting down of the plane served as the catalyst for the Rwandan genocide, which began within a few hours. Over the course of approximately 100 days, between 500,000 and 1,000,000Template:Sfn Tutsi and politically moderate Hutu were killed in well-planned attacks on the orders of the interim government.Template:Sfn Many Twa were also killed, despite not being directly targeted.Template:Sfn

The Tutsi RPF restarted their offensive, and took control of the country methodically, gaining control of the whole country by mid-July.Template:Sfn The international response to the genocide was limited, with major powers reluctant to strengthen the already overstretched UN peacekeeping force.Template:Sfn When the RPF took over, approximately two million Hutu fled to neighbouring countries, in particular Zaïre, fearing reprisals;Template:Sfn additionally, the RPF-led army was a key belligerent in the First and Second Congo Wars.Template:Sfn Within Rwanda, a period of reconciliation and justice began, with the establishment of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the reintroduction of Template:Lang, a traditional village court system.Template:Sfn Since 2000 Rwanda's economy,Template:Sfn tourist numbers,Template:Sfn and Human Development Index have grown rapidly;Template:Sfn between 2006 and 2011 the poverty rate reduced from 57% to 45%,Template:Sfn while life expectancy rose from 46.6 years in 2000Template:Sfn to 65.4 years in 2021.Template:Sfn

Since 1994

In 2009, Rwanda joined the Commonwealth of Nations, although the country was never part of the British Empire.

On 25 January 2025, Rwanda broke off diplomatic ties with its neighbor, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in support of the country's rebel groups, including the M23 Movement.

Politics and government

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Rwanda is a de facto one-party state<ref name="Yale University Press">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="The Conversation">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Handbook of Restorative Justice">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="TWQ">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="University of Chicago Press">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="jstor.org">Template:Cite journal</ref> ruled by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and its leader Paul Kagame continuously since the end of the civil war in 1994.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Although Rwanda is nominally democratic, elections are manipulated in various ways, which include banning opposition parties, arresting or assassinating critics, and electoral fraud.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The RPF is a Tutsi-dominated party but receives support from other communities as well.Template:Sfn

The constitution was adopted following a national referendum in 2003, replacing the transitional constitution which had been in place since 1994.Template:Sfn The constitution mandates a multi-party system of government, with politics based on democracy and elections.Template:Sfn However, the constitution places conditions on how political parties may operate. Article 54 states that "political organizations are prohibited from basing themselves on race, ethnic group, tribe, clan, region, sex, religion or any other division which may give rise to discrimination".Template:Sfn The president of Rwanda is the head of state,Template:Sfn and has broad powers including creating policy in conjunction with the Cabinet of Rwanda,Template:Sfn commanding the Rwandan Defence Force,Template:Sfn negotiating and ratifying treaties,Template:Sfn signing presidential orders,Template:Sfn and declaring war or a state of emergency.Template:Sfn The president is elected every five years,Template:Sfn and appoints the prime minister and all other members of the Cabinet.Template:Sfn The Parliament consists of two chambers. It makes legislation and is empowered by the constitution to oversee the activities of the president and the Cabinet.Template:Sfn The lower chamber is the Chamber of Deputies, which has 80 members serving five-year terms. Twenty-four of these seats are reserved for women, elected through a joint assembly of local government officials; another three seats are reserved for youth and disabled members; the remaining 53 are elected by universal suffrage under a proportional representation system.Template:Sfn

Rwanda's legal system is largely based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary law.Template:Sfn The judiciary is independent of the executive branch,Template:Sfn although the president and the Senate are involved in the appointment of Supreme Court judges.Template:Sfn Human Rights Watch has praised the Rwandan government for progress made in the delivery of justice including the abolition of the death penalty,Template:Sfn but also alleges interference in the judicial system by members of the government, such as the politically motivated appointment of judges, misuse of prosecutorial power, and pressure on judges to make particular decisions.Template:Sfn The constitution provides for two types of courts: ordinary and specialised.Template:Sfn Ordinary courts are the Supreme Court, the High Court, and regional courts, while specialised courts are military courtsTemplate:Sfn and a system of commercial courts created in 2011 to expedite commercial litigations.Template:Sfn Between 2004 and 2012, a system of Gacaca courts was in operation.Template:Sfn Template:Lang, a Rwandan traditional court operated by villages and communities, was revived to expedite the trials of genocide suspects.Template:Sfn The court succeeded in clearing the backlog of genocide cases, but was criticised by human rights groups as not meeting legal fair standard.Template:Sfn

Rwanda has low corruption levels relative to most other African countries; in 2014, Transparency International ranked Rwanda as the fifth-cleanest out of 47 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and 55th-cleanest out of 175 in the world.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn The constitution provides for an ombudsman, whose duties include prevention and fighting of corruption.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Public officials (including the president) are required by the constitution to declare their wealth to the ombudsman and to the public; those who do not comply are suspended from office.Template:Sfn Despite this, Human Rights Watch notes extensive political repression throughout the country, including illegal and arbitrary detention, threats or other forms of intimidation, disappearances, politically motivated trials, and the massacre of peacefully protesting civilians.<ref name=Roth>Template:Cite book</ref>

Rwanda is a member of the United Nations,Template:Sfn African Union, Francophonie,Template:Sfn East African Community,Template:Sfn and the Commonwealth of Nations.Template:Sfn For many years during the Habyarimana regime, the country maintained close ties with France, as well as Belgium, the former colonial power.Template:Sfn Under the RPF government, however, Rwanda has sought closer ties with neighbouring countries in the East African Community and with the English-speaking world. Diplomatic relations with France were suspended in 2006 following the indictment of Rwandan officials by a French judge,Template:Sfn and despite their restoration in 2010, Template:As of relations between the countries remain strained.Template:Sfn Relations with the Democratic Republic of the Congo were tense following Rwanda's involvement in the First and Second Congo Wars;Template:Sfn the Congolese army alleged Rwandan attacks on their troops, while Rwanda blamed the Congolese government for failing to suppress Hutu rebels in North and South Kivu provinces.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn In 2010, the United Nations released a report accusing the Rwandan army of committing wide scale human rights violations and crimes against humanity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the First and Second Congo Wars, charges denied by the Rwandan government.Template:Sfn Relations soured further in 2012, as Kinshasa accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebellion, an insurgency in the eastern Congo.Template:Sfn In 2015 peace had been restored and relations were improving,Template:Sfn but by January 2025 renewed Rwandan support for the M23 rebellion caused DR Congo to sever diplomatic relations in the wake of the 2025 Goma offensive.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Rwanda's relationship with Uganda was also tense for much of the 2000s following a 1999 clash between the two countries' armies as they backed opposing rebel groups in the Second Congo War,Template:Sfn but improved significantly in the early 2010s.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn In 2019, relations between the two countries deteriorated, with Rwanda closing its borders with Uganda.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Administrative divisions

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Map of Rwanda showing the five provinces in various colours, as well as major cities, lakes, rivers, and areas of neighbouring countries — Provinces of Rwanda

Before western colonization, the Rwandan government system had a quasi-system of political pluralism and power sharing.Template:Sfn Despite there being a strict hierarchy, the pre-colonial system achieved an established, combined system of "centralized power and decentralized autonomous units." Under the monarch, the elected Chief governed a province that was divided into multiple districts. Two other officials appointed by head Chief governed the districts; one official was allocated power over the land while the other oversaw cattle. The king (Template:Lang) exercised control through a system of provinces, districts, hills, and neighbourhoods.Template:Sfn As of 2003, the constitution divided Rwanda into provinces (Template:Lang), districts (Template:Lang), cities, municipalities, towns, sectors (Template:Lang), cells (Template:Lang), and villages (Template:Lang); the larger divisions, and their borders, are established by Parliament.Template:Sfn In January 2006, Rwanda was reorganized such that twelve provinces were merged to create five, and 106 districts were merged into thirty.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The present borders drawn in 2006 aimed at decentralising power and removing associations with the old system and the genocide. The previous structure of twelve provinces associated with the largest cities was replaced with five provinces based primarily on geography.Template:Sfn These are Northern Province, Southern Province, Eastern Province, Western Province, and the Municipality of Kigali in the centre.

The five provinces act as intermediaries between the national government and their constituent districts to ensure that national policies are implemented at the district level. The Rwanda Decentralisation Strategic Framework developed by the Ministry of Local Government assigns to provinces the responsibility for "coordinating governance issues in the Province, as well as monitoring and evaluation".Template:Sfn Each province is headed by a governor, appointed by the president and approved by the Senate.Template:Sfn The districts are responsible for coordinating public service delivery and economic development. They are divided into sectors, which are responsible for the delivery of public services as mandated by the districts.Template:Sfn Districts and sectors have directly elected councils, and are run by an executive committee selected by that council.Template:Sfn The cells and villages are the smallest political units, providing a link between the people and the sectors.Template:Sfn All adult resident citizens are members of their local cell council, from which an executive committee is elected.Template:Sfn The city of Kigali is a provincial-level authority, which coordinates urban planning within the city.Template:Sfn

Geography

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Rwanda is located in east–central Africa, between 1° and 3° S latitude and between 29° and 31° E longitude. Its geography is characterized by rolling highlands, mountains, and numerous lakes. At Template:Convert, Rwanda is the world's 144th-largest country, and the fourth smallest on the African mainland after Gambia, Eswatini, and Djibouti. It is comparable in size to Burundi, Haiti and Albania.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn The entire country is at a high altitude: the lowest point is the Rusizi River at Template:Convert above sea level.Template:Sfn

The watershed between the major Congo and Nile drainage basins runs from north to south through Rwanda, with around 80% of the country's area draining into the Nile and 20% into the Congo via the Rusizi River and Lake Tanganyika.Template:Sfn The country's longest river is the Nyabarongo, which rises in the south-west, flows north, east, and southeast before merging with the Ruvubu to form the Kagera; the Kagera then flows due north along the eastern border with Tanzania. The Nyabarongo-Kagera eventually drains into Lake Victoria, and its source in Nyungwe Forest is a contender for the as-yet undetermined overall source of the Nile.Template:Sfn Rwanda has many lakes, the largest being Lake Kivu. This lake occupies the floor of the Albertine Rift along most of the length of Rwanda's western border, and with a maximum depth of Template:Convert,Template:Sfn it is one of the twenty deepest lakes in the world.Template:Sfn Other sizeable lakes include Burera, Ruhondo, Muhazi, Rweru, and Ihema, the last being the largest of a string of lakes in the eastern plains of Akagera National Park.Template:Sfn

Mountains dominate central and western Rwanda and the country is sometimes called "Template:Lang" in French ("Land of a thousand hills").<ref>Christophe Migeon. "Voyage au Rwanda, le pays des Mille Collines Template:Webarchive" (In French), Le Point, 26 May 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2019.</ref> They are part of the Albertine Rift Mountains that flank the Albertine branch of the East African Rift, which runs from north to south along Rwanda's western border.Template:Sfn The highest peaks are found in the Virunga volcano chain in the northwest; this includes Mount Karisimbi, Rwanda's highest point, at Template:Convert.Template:Sfn This western section of the country lies within the Albertine Rift montane forests ecoregion.Template:Sfn It has an elevation of Template:Convert.Template:Sfn The centre of the country is predominantly rolling hills, while the eastern border region consists of savanna, plains and swamps.Template:Sfn

Climate

Rwanda has a temperate tropical highland climate, with lower temperatures than are typical for equatorial countries because of its high elevation.Template:Sfn Precipitation usually ranges from 1,000 to 1,400 millimetres per year, depending on the area. Kigali, in the centre of the country, has a typical daily temperature range between Template:Convert, with little variation through the year.Template:Sfn There are some temperature variations across the country; the mountainous west and north are generally cooler than the lower-lying east.Template:Sfn There are two rainy seasons in the year; the first runs from February to June and the second from September to December. These are separated by two dry seasons: the major one from June to September, during which there is often no rain at all, and a shorter and less severe one from December to February.Template:Sfn Rainfall varies geographically, with the west and northwest of the country receiving more precipitation annually than the east and southeast.Template:Sfn Global warming has caused a change in the pattern of the rainy seasons. According to a report by the Strategic Foresight Group, change in climate has reduced the number of rainy days experienced during a year, but has also caused an increase in frequency of torrential rains.Template:Sfn Both changes have caused difficulty for farmers, decreasing their productivity.Template:Sfn Strategic Foresight also characterise Rwanda as a fast warming country, with an increase in average temperature of between 0.7 °C to 0.9 °C over fifty years.Template:Sfn

Biodiversity

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In prehistoric timesTemplate:Clarify, montane forest occupied one-third of the territory of present-day Rwanda. Naturally occurring vegetation is now mostly restricted to the three national parks, with terraced agriculture dominating the rest of the country.Template:Sfn Nyungwe, the largest remaining tract of forest, contains 200 species of tree as well as orchids and begonias.Template:Sfn Vegetation in the Volcanoes National Park is mostly bamboo and moorland, with small areas of forest.Template:Sfn By contrast, Akagera has a savanna ecosystem in which acacia dominates the flora. There are several rare or endangered plant species in Akagera, including Markhamia lutea and Eulophia guineensis.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The greatest diversity of large mammals is found in the three national parks, which are designated conservation areas.Template:Sfn Akagera contains typical savanna animals such as giraffes and elephants,Template:Sfn while Volcanoes is home to an estimated one-third of the worldwide mountain gorilla population.Template:Sfn Nyungwe Forest boasts thirteen primate species including common chimpanzees and Ruwenzori colobus arboreal monkeys; the Ruwenzori colobus move in groups of up to 400 individuals, the largest troop size of any primate in Africa.Template:Sfn

Rwanda's population of lions was destroyed in the aftermath of the genocide of 1994, as national parks were turned into camps for displaced people and the remaining animals were poisoned by cattle herders. In June 2015, two South African parks donated seven lions to Akagera National Park, reestablishing a lion population in Rwanda.Template:Sfn The lions were held initially in a fenced-off area of the park, and then collared and released into the wild a month later.Template:Sfn

Eighteen endangered black rhinos were brought to Rwanda in 2017 from South Africa.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After positive results, five more black rhinos were delivered to Akagera National Park from zoos all over Europe in 2019.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Similarly, the white rhino population is growing in Rwanda. In 2021, Rwanda received 30 white rhinos from South Africa with the goal of Akagera being a safe breeding ground for the near-threatened species.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

There are 670 bird species in Rwanda, with variation between the east and the west.Template:Sfn Nyungwe Forest, in the west, has 280 recorded species, of which 26 are endemic to the Albertine Rift;Template:Sfn endemic species include the Rwenzori turaco and handsome spurfowl.Template:Sfn Eastern Rwanda, by contrast, features savanna birds such as the black-headed gonolek and those associated with swamps and lakes, including storks and cranes.Template:Sfn

Recent entomological work in the country has revealed a rich diversity of praying mantises,Template:Sfn including a new species Dystacta tigrifrutex, dubbed the "bush tiger mantis".Template:Sfn

Rwanda contains three terrestrial ecoregions: Albertine Rift montane forests, Victoria Basin forest-savanna mosaic, and Ruwenzori-Virunga montane moorlands.<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">Template:Cite journal</ref> The country had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 3.85/10, ranking it 139th globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Economy

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The economy of Rwanda has expanded consistently since the 1994 genocide, with real GDP growth of 8.2% in 2023 and 8.9% in 2024, according to the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Growth is projected at 7.1% in 2025 and 7.5% in 2026, and the government is actively pursuing policies to encourage industrial growth, such as the "Made In Rwanda".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

As of the most recent survey in 2024, 30.5% of the population are affected by multidimensional poverty with 27.4% of the population under the national poverty line (monetary poverty), a significant drop from the monetary poverty of 60.3% in 2000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Rwanda was classified in 2024 on the list of Least developed countries by the United Nations, despite its graduation in the human assets aspect, Rwanda's GNI per capita (as an average over three years) and Economic Vulnerability Index (agricultural dependence and landlocked status) are below the graduation threshold.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Rwanda's economy is mainly driven by services, agriculture and industry, although agriculture (subsistence and cash crops) holds a larger share of employment than the other sectors (64.5%). The share of GDP from different sectors (2024) is as follows: Services constituted 44.3%, Industry constituted 21.5% and agriculture constituted 27.1%.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2023 its major export partners include United Arab Emirates, Democratic Republic of the Congo, China, India and the United States, with the major exports being precious stones/metals, coffee, ores, oil and manufactured goods (agro-processing, cement, furniture, textiles and plastic pipes).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its major import partners were China, Tanzania, Kenya, India and the United Arab Emirates, with its major imports being oil, electric machinery, metals and industrial machinery.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":0" /> Its monetary policy and financial management is controlled by the central National Bank of Rwanda and the currency is the Rwandan franc; in August 2025, the exchange rate was 1445 francs to one United States dollar, a currency which it created in 1964<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Rwanda joined the East African Community in 2007, and has ratified a plan for monetary union amongst the seven member nations,Template:Sfn which could eventually lead to a common East African shilling.Template:Sfn

Rwanda's economy suffered heavily during the 1994 genocide, with widespread loss of life, failure to maintain infrastructure, looting, and neglect of important cash crops. This caused a large drop in GDP and heavily damaged the country's ability to attract private and external investment. However, in the 2000s Rwanda witnessed an economic boom which improved the standard of living for many Rwandans.Template:Sfn<ref name="imf_data">Template:Cite web</ref>

Agriculture

Agriculture is prominent in Rwanda and approximately 59% of the land is used for agricultural processes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Farming techniques are basic, with small plots of land and steep slopes.Template:Sfn Despite at least five agriculture-related institutes, mechanisation levels are moderate to low.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Although Rwanda has experienced notable growth in agricultural output, rapid population growth has placed more pressure on food security and increased the population's reliance on food imports.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Despite a fertile landscape, the country possesses limited natural resources.Template:Sfn

Crops grown in the country include matoke (green bananas), which occupy more than a third of the country's farmland,Template:Sfn potatoes, beans, sweet potatoes, cassava, wheat and maize.Template:Sfn Coffee and tea are the major cash crops for export, with the high altitudes, steep slopes and volcanic soils providing favourable conditions.Template:Sfn Reports have established that more than 400,000 Rwandans make their living from coffee plantation.Template:Sfn Reliance on agricultural exports makes Rwanda vulnerable to shifts in their prices.Template:Sfn Animals raised in Rwanda include cows, goats, sheep, pigs, chicken, and rabbits, with geographical variation in the numbers of each.Template:Sfn Production systems are mostly traditional, although there are a few intensive dairy farms around Kigali.Template:Sfn Shortages of land and water, insufficient and poor-quality feed, and regular disease epidemics with insufficient veterinary services are major constraints that restrict output. Fishing takes place on the country's lakes, but stocks are very depleted, and live fish are being imported in an attempt to revive the industry.Template:Sfn

Industry and manufacturing

The industrial sector is currently experiencing growth, contributing 21.5% of GDP in 2014.Template:Sfn Products manufactured include cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles and cigarettes.Template:Sfn Rwanda's mining industry is an important contributor, generating US$93 million in 2008.Template:Sfn Minerals mined include cassiterite, wolframite, gold, and coltan, which is used in the manufacture of electronic and communication devices such as mobile phones.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

Rwanda's service sector suffered during the late-2000s recession as bank lending, foreign aid projects and investment were reduced.Template:Sfn The sector rebounded in 2010, becoming the country's largest sector by economic output and contributing 43.6% of the country's GDP.Template:Sfn Key tertiary contributors include banking and finance, wholesale and retail trade, hotels and restaurants, transport, storage, communication, insurance, real estate, business services and public administration including education and health.Template:Sfn

Rwanda was ranked 104th in the Global Innovation Index in 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Tourism

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Tourism is one of Rwanda’s fastest-growing economic sectors and remains the country’s leading foreign exchange earner. In 2023, Rwanda recorded over 1.4 million international visitors, generating about US$620 million in revenue, according to the Rwanda Development Board.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The World Travel & Tourism Council reported that in 2024, the sector supported nearly 386,000 jobs in Rwanda and contributed over 10% of GDP.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A major draw for visitors is mountain gorilla tracking in Volcanoes National Park, one of only three places worldwide where mountain gorillas can be seen in the wild.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Other attractions include Nyungwe Forest National Park, known for its chimpanzees and canopy walkway,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the resorts of Lake Kivu, and Akagera National Park, a savanna reserve in the east home to elephants, lions, and giraffes.

The government, through the Rwanda Development Board, has promoted tourism as a pillar of economic growth.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Visitor numbers have increased steadily since the early 2000s, with international arrivals often linked to conferences in Kigali as well as ecotourism.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2018, Rwanda launched the Visit Rwanda campaign, including sponsorship deals with European football clubs such as Arsenal F.C., Paris Saint-Germain F.C., and Atlético Madrid, to raise the country’s profile as a travel destination.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2025, Visit Rwanda expanded its sports marketing into the United States, entering multi-year agreements with the Los Angeles Clippers (NBA) and the Los Angeles Rams (NFL). As part of the Clippers partnership, Visit Rwanda became the exclusive jersey patch sponsor and the official coffee sponsor of the team’s Intuit Dome arena.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the Rams deal, Visit Rwanda is an official international tourism sponsor of the team, SoFi Stadium, and Hollywood Park, and will secure prominent advertising and entitlement placements within the stadium complex.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Tourism in Rwanda has been praised for its emphasis on sustainability and conservation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Media and communications

Template:Main The largest radio and television stations are state-run, and the majority of newspapers are owned by the government.Template:Sfn Most Rwandans have access to radio; during the 1994 genocide, the radio station Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines broadcast across the country, and helped to fuel the killings through anti-Tutsi propaganda.Template:Sfn Template:As of, the state-run Radio Rwanda was the largest station and the main source of news throughout the country.Template:Sfn Television access was limited, with most homes not having their own set.Template:Sfn The government rolled out digital television in 2014, and a year later there were seven national stations operating, up from just one in the pre-2014 analogue era.Template:Sfn The press is tightly restricted, and newspapers routinely self-censor to avoid government reprisals.Template:Sfn Nonetheless, publications in Kinyarwanda, English, and French critical of the government are widely available in Kigali. Restrictions were increased in the run-up to the Rwandan presidential election of 2010, with two independent newspapers, Umuseso and Umuvugizi, being suspended for six months by the High Media Council.Template:Sfn

The country's oldest telecommunications group, Rwandatel, went into liquidation in 2011, having been 80% owned by Libyan company LAP Green.Template:Sfn The company was acquired in 2013 by Liquid Telecom,Template:Sfn a company providing telecommunications and fibre optic networks across eastern and southern Africa.Template:Sfn In 2015, Liquid Telecom provided landline service to 30,968 subscribers, with mobile operator MTN Rwanda serving an additional 15,497 fixed line subscribers.Template:Sfn Landlines are mostly used by government institutions, banks, NGOs and embassies, with private subscription levels low.Template:Sfn In 2015, mobile phone penetration in the country was 72.6%,Template:Sfn up from 41.6% in 2011.Template:Sfn MTN Rwanda is the leading provider, with 3,957,986 subscribers, followed by Tigo with 2,887,328, and Bharti Airtel with 1,336,679.Template:Sfn Rwandatel has also previously operated a mobile phone network, but the industry regulator revoked its licence in April 2011, following the company's failure to meet agreed investment commitments.Template:Sfn Internet penetration is low but rising rapidly; in 2015 there were 12.8 internet users per 100 people,Template:Sfn up from 2.1 in 2007.Template:Sfn In 2011, a Template:Convert fibre-optic telecommunications network was completed, intended to provide broadband services and facilitate electronic commerce.Template:Sfn This network is connected to SEACOM, a submarine fibre-optic cable connecting communication carriers in southern and eastern Africa. Within Rwanda the cables run along major roads, linking towns around the country.Template:Sfn Mobile provider MTN also runs a wireless internet service accessible in most areas of Kigali via pre-paid subscription.Template:Sfn As of 2024, the largest internet providers are MTN and Airtel. MTN Rwanda has shown impressive growth in its subscriber base. As of the first quarter of 2024, MTN Rwanda had approximately 7.4 million mobile subscribers. (Additionally, their Mobile Money platform, MoMo, had around 5.1 million users), compared to Airtel Rwanda's 5,792,046 active mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions. In October 2019, Mara Corporation launched the first African-made smartphone in Rwanda.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Following its launch in 2024, Airtel Rwanda, in cooperation with the Rwandan government, released the most affordable smartphone in the world, the Airtel Imagine 4G. The phone was introduced as part of the ConnectRwanda 2.0 initiative. It costs only 20,000 RWF (approximately US$14.49).

Infrastructure

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Photograph depicting one adult and five children filling jerrycans at a rural metal water pump with concrete base, at the bottom of a steep rocky hillside — Rural water pump

The Rwandan government prioritised funding of water supply development during the 2000s, significantly increasing its share of the national budget.Template:Sfn This funding, along with donor support, caused a rapid increase in access to safe water; in 2015, 74% of the population had access to safe water,Template:Sfn up from about 55% in 2005;Template:Sfn the government has committed to increasing this to 100% by 2017.Template:Sfn The country's water infrastructure consists of urban and rural systems that deliver water to the public, mainly through standpipes in rural areas and private connections in urban areas. In areas not served by these systems, hand pumps and managed springs are used.Template:Sfn Despite rainfall exceeding Template:Convert annually in most of the country,Template:Sfn little use is made of rainwater harvesting, and residents are forced to use water very sparingly, relative to usage in other African countries.Template:Sfn Access to sanitation remains low; the United Nations estimates that in 2006, 34% of urban and 20% of rural dwellers had access to improved sanitation,Template:Sfn with this statistic increasing to 92% for the total population (95% urban and 91% rural) in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Kigali is one of the cleanest cities in Africa.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Government policy measures to improve sanitation are limited, focusing only on urban areas.Template:Sfn The majority of the population, both urban and rural, use public shared pit latrines.Template:Sfn

Rwanda's electricity supply was, until the early 2000s, generated almost entirely from hydroelectric sources; power stations on Lakes Burera and Ruhondo provided 90% of the country's electricity.Template:Sfn A combination of below average rainfall and human activity, including the draining of the Rugezi wetlands for cultivation and grazing, caused the two lakes' water levels to fall from 1990 onwards; by 2004 levels were reduced by 50%, leading to a sharp drop in output from the power stations.Template:Sfn This, coupled with increased demand as the economy grew, precipitated a shortfall in 2004 and widespread loadshedding.Template:Sfn As an emergency measure, the government installed diesel generators north of Kigali; by 2006 these were providing 56% of the country's electricity, but were very costly.Template:Sfn The government enacted a number of measures to alleviate this problem, including rehabilitating the Rugezi wetlands, which supply water to Burera and Ruhondo and investing in a scheme to extract methane gas from Lake Kivu, expected in its first phase to increase the country's power generation by 40%.Template:Sfn Only 18% of the population had access to electricity in 2012, though this had risen from 10.8% in 2009.Template:Sfn The government's Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy for 2013–18 aims to increase access to electricity to 70% of households by 2017.Template:Sfn

The government has increased investment in the transport infrastructure of Rwanda since the 1994 genocide, with aid from the United States, European Union, Japan, and others. The transport system consists primarily of the road network, with paved roads between Kigali and most other major cities and towns in the country.Template:Sfn Rwanda is linked by road to other countries in the East African Community, namely Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Kenya, as well as to the eastern Congolese cities of Goma and Bukavu; the country's most important trade route is the road to the port of Mombasa via Kampala and Nairobi, which is known as the Northern Corridor.Template:Sfn The principal form of public transport in the country is the minibus, accounting for more than half of all passenger carrying capacity.Template:Sfn Some minibuses, particularly in Kigali,Template:Sfn operate an unscheduled service, under a shared taxi system,Template:Sfn while others run to a schedule, offering express routes between the major cities. There are a smaller number of large buses,Template:Sfn which operate a scheduled service around the country. The principal private hire vehicle is the motorcycle taxi; in 2013 there were 9,609 registered motorcycle taxis in Rwanda, compared with just 579 taxicabs.Template:Sfn Coach services are available to various destinations in neighbouring countries. The country has an international airport at Kigali that serves several international destinations, the busiest routes being those to Nairobi and Entebbe;Template:Sfn there is one domestic route, between Kigali and Kamembe Airport near Cyangugu.Template:Sfn In 2017, construction began on the Bugesera International Airport, to the south of Kigali, which will become the country's largest when it opens, complementing the existing Kigali airport.Template:Sfn The national carrier is RwandAir, and the country is served by seven foreign airlines.Template:Sfn Template:As of the country had no railways, but there is a project underway, in conjunction with Burundi and Tanzania, to extend the Tanzanian Central Line into Rwanda; the three countries have invited expressions of interest from private firms to form a public private partnership for the scheme.Template:Sfn There is no public water transport between the port cities on Lake Kivu, although a limited private service exists and the government has initiated a programme to develop a full service.Template:Sfn The Ministry of Infrastructure is also investigating the feasibility of linking Rwanda to Lake Victoria via shipping on the Akagera River.Template:Sfn

Demographics

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Template:Largest cities Template:As of, Rwanda's estimated population is around 14.6 million, although estimates vary.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A decade earlier, in 2015, the estimated population was 11,262,564 (according to the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda), and the 2012 census recorded a population of 10,515,973.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn The population is young: as of 2024–2025, estimates of the median age ranged from 19.9 to 20.8, with 42.9% of the population under the age of 15, and 54.7% between 15 and 64.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Sfn Template:Sfn In 2015, according to the CIA World Factbook, the annual birth rate was estimated at 40.2 births per 1,000 inhabitants, and the death rate at 14.9.Template:Sfn The current life expectancy is between 68.2 and 70.54 years (71 years for females and 66 years for males), placing it 156th out of 224 countries and territories.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn The overall sex ratio of the country is 95.9 males per 100 females.Template:Sfn

At Template:Convert,Template:Sfn Rwanda's population density is amongst the highest in Africa.Template:Sfn Historians such as Gérard Prunier believe that the 1994 genocide can be partly attributed to the population density.Template:Sfn The population is predominantly rural, with a few large towns; dwellings are evenly spread throughout the country.Template:Sfn The only sparsely populated area of the country is the savanna land in the former province of Umutara and Akagera National Park in the east.Template:Sfn Kigali is the largest city, with a population of around one million.Template:Sfn Its rapidly increasing population challenges its infrastructural development.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn According to the 2012 census, the second largest city is Gisenyi, which lies adjacent to Lake Kivu and the Congolese city of Goma, and has a population of 126,000.Template:Sfn Other major towns include Ruhengeri, Butare, and Muhanga, all with populations below 100,000.Template:Sfn The urban population rose from 6% of the population in 1990,Template:Sfn to 16.6% in 2006;Template:Sfn by 2011, however, the proportion had dropped slightly, to 14.8%.Template:Sfn

Rwanda has been a unified state since pre-colonial times,Template:Sfn and the population is drawn from just one cultural and linguistic group, the Banyarwanda;Template:Sfn this contrasts with most modern African states, whose borders were drawn by colonial powers and did not correspond to ethnic boundaries or pre-colonial kingdoms.Template:Sfn Within the Banyarwanda people, there are three separate groups, the Hutu, Tutsi and Twa.Template:Sfn The CIA World Factbook gives estimates that the Hutu made up 84% of the population in 2009, the Tutsi 15% and Twa 1%.Template:Sfn The Twa are a pygmy people who descend from Rwanda's earliest inhabitants, but scholars do not agree on the origins of and differences between the Hutu and Tutsi.Template:Sfn Anthropologist Jean Hiernaux contends that the Tutsi are a separate race, with a tendency towards "long and narrow heads, faces and noses";Template:Sfn others, such as Villia Jefremovas, believe there is no discernible physical difference and the categories were not historically rigid.Template:Sfn In precolonial Rwanda the Tutsi were the ruling class, from whom the kings and the majority of chiefs were derived, while the Hutu were agriculturalists.Template:Sfn The current government discourages the Hutu/Tutsi/Twa distinction, and has removed such classification from identity cards.Template:Sfn The 2002 census was the first since 1933Template:Sfn which did not categorise Rwandan population into the three groups.Template:Sfn

Education

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Prior to 2012, the Rwandan government provided nine years of free basic education in state-run schools, consisting of six years of primary and three years of lower secondary education (known as the Tronc Commun).Template:Sfn In 2012, this policy was expanded to cover twelve years of free basic education, including upper secondary.Template:Sfn

A 2015 study noted that while primary school enrollment was nearly universal, completion rates remained low and repetition rates high.Template:Sfn Although schooling is officially fee free, parents are expected to contribute to certain costs such as school materials, teacher support, and infrastructure maintenance. The government maintains that these contributions should not prevent any child from attending school.Template:Sfn

There are also many private and church affiliated schools that follow the national curriculum but charge tuition fees.Template:Sfn From 1994 until 2009, secondary education was offered in either French or English. Following Rwanda’s accession to the East African Community and the Commonwealth, English became the main medium of instruction from 2009 onward.Template:Sfn

The country has several institutions of higher learning. In 2013, the government established the University of Rwanda (UR) through the merger of the National University of Rwanda and other public higher education institutions.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn In 2023, the gross enrollment ratio for tertiary education was 8.89%, up from 3.6% in 2006.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Rwanda’s adult literacy rate, defined as the share of those aged 15 and above who can read and write, rose from 38% in 1978 to 58% in 1991, 71% in 2009, and 78.8% in 2022.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Health

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The quality of healthcare in Rwanda has historically been very low, both before and immediately after the 1994 genocide.Template:Sfn In 1998, more than one in five children died before their fifth birthday,Template:Sfn often from malaria.Template:Sfn

President Kagame has made healthcare one of the priorities for the Vision 2020 development programme,Template:Sfn boosting spending on health care to 6.5% of the country's gross domestic product in 2013,Template:Sfn compared with 1.9% in 1996.Template:Sfn The government has devolved the financing and management of healthcare to local communities, through a system of health insurance providers called mutuelles de santé.Template:Sfn The mutuelles were piloted in 1999, and were made available nationwide by the mid-2000s, with the assistance of international development partners.Template:Sfn Premiums under the scheme were initially US$2 per annum; since 2011 the rate has varied on a sliding scale, with the poorest paying nothing, and maximum premiums rising to US$8 per adult.Template:Sfn Template:As of, more than 90% of the population was covered by the scheme.Template:Sfn The government has also set up training institutes including the Kigali Health Institute (KHI), which was established in 1997Template:Sfn and is now part of the University of Rwanda. In 2005, President Kagame also launched a program known as The Presidents' Malaria Initiative.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This initiative aimed to help get the most necessary materials for prevention of malaria to the most rural areas of Rwanda, such as mosquito nets and medication.

In recent years Rwanda has seen improvement on a number of key health indicators. Between 2005 and 2013, life expectancy increased from 55.2 to 64.0,Template:Sfn under-5 mortality decreased from 106.4 to 52.0 per 1,000 live births,Template:Sfn and incidence of tuberculosis has dropped from 101 to 69 per 100,000 people.Template:Sfn The country's progress in healthcare has been cited by the international media and charities. The Atlantic devoted an article to "Rwanda's Historic Health Recovery".Template:Sfn Partners In Health described the health gains "among the most dramatic the world has seen in the last 50 years".Template:Sfn

Despite these improvements, however, the country's health profile remains dominated by communicable diseases,Template:Sfn and the United States Agency for International Development has described "significant health challenges",Template:Sfn including the rate of maternal mortality, which it describes as "unacceptably high",Template:Sfn as well as the ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic.Template:Sfn According to the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, travellers to Rwanda are highly recommended to take preventive malaria medication as well as make sure they are up to date with vaccines such as yellow fever.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Rwanda also has a shortage of medical professionals, with only 0.84 physicians, nurses, and midwives per 1,000 residents.Template:Sfn The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is monitoring the country's health progress towards Millennium Development Goals 4–6, which relate to healthcare. A mid-2015 UNDP report noted that the country was not on target to meet goal 4 on infant mortality, despite it having "fallen dramatically";Template:Sfn the country is "making good progress" towards goal 5, which is to reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio,Template:Sfn while goal 6 is not yet met as HIV prevalence has not started falling.Template:Sfn

Religion

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Photograph depicting the Catholic parish church in Rwamagana, Eastern Province, including the main entrance, façade, the separate bell tower, and dirt forecourt — Catholic church in Rwamagana

The largest faith in Rwanda is Catholicism, but there have been significant changes in the nation's religious demographics since the genocide, with many conversions to evangelical Christianity, and, to a lesser degree, Islam.Template:Sfn According to the 2012 census, Catholic Christians represented 43.7% of the population, Protestants (excluding Seventh-day Adventists) 37.7%, Seventh-day Adventists 11.8%, and Muslims 2.0%; 0.2% claimed no religious beliefs and 1.3% did not state a religion.Template:Sfn Traditional religion, despite officially being followed by only 0.1% of the population, retains an influence. Many Rwandans view the Christian God as synonymous with the traditional Rwandan God Imana.Template:Sfn

Languages

Template:Main The country's principal and national language is Kinyarwanda, which is spoken by almost the entire population (about 98%).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Inhabitants of Rwanda's Nkombo Island speak Mashi, a language closely related to Kinyarwanda.Template:Sfn

During the colonial era, German was the first European language introduced to Rwanda, though it was never widely used or taught. After 1916, French became dominant under Belgian administration and was used in government and education. The 1962 Constitution made French an official language alongside Kinyarwanda.Template:Sfn<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref> Dutch was also used in limited administrative contexts during the Belgian period.

The return of English-speaking Rwandan refugees from Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania in the 1990sTemplate:Sfn reshaped the country's linguistic landscape and accelerated the shift toward English.Template:Sfn As Rwanda deepened its ties with the East African Community and joined the Commonwealth, English became increasingly important in education, business, and administration. In 2008, the government changed the medium of instruction in schools from French to English to strengthen regional integration.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Since then, the starting point of English instruction in schools has been adjusted several times.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Private schools may still choose to teach in either English or French.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite book</ref>

Today, Kinyarwanda, English, French, and Swahili are all official languages.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Kinyarwanda serves as the national and unifying language, while English is now the primary language of government, education, and business. French remains in limited use in diplomacy and cultural contexts, and Swahili, the lingua franca of the East African Community,Template:Sfn is taught in schools and used in regional trade. Swahili was introduced as a compulsory subject in secondary schools in 2015.Template:Sfn

According to the 2012 Census of Rwanda, literacy among residents aged 15 and above was 67.7% in Kinyarwanda, 14.7% in English, and 11.4% in French.<ref name="STATS2012">Template:Cite web</ref> A decade later, the 2022 Census showed notable shifts: literacy in Kinyarwanda had risen to 78.3%, English to 21.2%, French had decreased to 8.2%, and Swahili reached 4.0%.<ref name="UN2022">Template:Cite web</ref> These results reflect the steady growth of English and Swahili literacy and a continuing decline in the proportion of French-literate speakers.Template:Sfn Kinyarwanda remains the mother tongue of nearly all Rwandans, while English and Swahili use continue to expand, particularly in urban areas and schools.Template:Sfn As in many postcolonial societies, proficiency in European languages is closely linked to education, migration background, and social class.<ref name=":1" />Template:Sfn

Human rights

Template:Unbalanced section Template:See also Homosexuality is generally considered a taboo topic, and there is no significant public discussion of this issue in any region of the country. Some lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Rwandans have reported being harassed and blackmailed.Template:Sfn<ref name="Spartacus International Gay Guide 2007">Spartacus International Gay Guide, p. 1216. Bruno Gmunder Verlag, 2007.</ref><ref name="globalgayz">Template:Cite web</ref> Same-sex sexual activity is not specifically illegal in Rwanda. Some cabinet-level government officials have expressed support for the rights of LGBT people;Template:Sfn however, no special legislative protections are afforded to LGBT people,<ref name="Spartacus International Gay Guide 2007"/> who may be arrested by the police under various laws dealing with public order and morality.<ref name="globalgayz"/> Same-sex marriages are not recognized by the state, as the constitution provides that "[o]nly civil monogamous marriage between a man and a woman is recognized".Template:Sfn

Since 2006, Human Rights Watch has documented that Rwandan authorities round up and detain street children, street vendors, sex workers, homeless people, and beggars. They have also documented the use of torture in safe houses and other facilities, such as Kami military camp, Kwa Gacinya and Gikondo prison.<ref name="hrw">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Culture

Template:MainThe culture of Rwanda is varied. Unlike many other countries in Africa, Rwanda has been a unified state since precolonial times, populated by the Banyarwanda people who share a single language and cultural heritage.

Arts

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Music and dance are an integral part of Rwandan ceremonies, festivals, social gatherings and storytelling. The most famous traditional dance is a highly choreographed routine consisting of three components: the umushagiriro, or cow dance, performed by women;Template:Sfn the intore, or dance of heroes, performed by men;Template:Sfn and the drumming, also traditionally performed by men, on drums known as ingoma.Template:Sfn The best-known dance group is the National Ballet. It was established by President Habyarimana in 1974, and performs nationally and internationally.Template:Sfn Traditionally, music is transmitted orally, with styles varying between the social groups. Drums are of great importance; the royal drummers enjoyed high status within the court of the King (Mwami).Template:Sfn Drummers play together in groups of varying sizes, usually between seven and nine in number.Template:Sfn The country has a growing popular music industry, influenced by African Great Lakes, Congolese, and American music. The most popular genre is hip hop, with a blend of dancehall, rap, ragga, R&B and dance-pop.Template:Sfn

Dance is an integral aspect of the Rwandan culture

Traditional arts and crafts are produced throughout the country, although most originated as functional items rather than purely for decoration. Woven baskets and bowls are especially common, notably the basket style of the agaseke.Template:Sfn Imigongo, a unique cow dung art, is produced in the southeast of Rwanda, with a history dating back to when the region was part of the independent Gisaka kingdom. The dung is mixed with natural soils of various colours and painted into patterned ridges to form geometric shapes.Template:Sfn Other crafts include pottery and wood carving.Template:Sfn Traditional housing styles make use of locally available materials; circular or rectangular mud homes with grass-thatched roofs (known as nyakatsi) are the most common. The government has initiated a programme to replace these with more modern materials such as corrugated iron.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

Rwanda does not have a long history of written literature, but there is a strong oral tradition ranging from poetry to folk stories. Many of the country's moral values and details of history have been passed down through the generations.Template:Sfn The most famous Rwandan literary figure was Alexis Kagame (1912–1981), who carried out and published research into oral traditions as well as writing his own poetry.Template:Sfn The Rwandan Genocide resulted in the emergence of a literature of witness accounts, essays and fiction by a new generation of writers such as Benjamin Sehene and Mfuranzima Fred. A number of films have been produced about the Rwandan Genocide, including the Golden Globe-nominated Hotel Rwanda, 100 Days, Shake Hands with the Devil, Sometimes in April, and Shooting Dogs, the last four having been filmed in Rwanda and having featured survivors as cast members.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

Fourteen regular national holidays are observed throughout the year,Template:Sfn with others occasionally inserted by the government. The week following Genocide Memorial Day on 7 April is designated an official week of mourning.Template:Sfn The victory for the RPF over the Hutu extremists is celebrated as Liberation Day on 4 July. The last Saturday of each month is umuganda, a national morning of mandatory community service lasting from 8Template:Nbspam to 11Template:Nbspam, during which all able bodied people between 18 and 65 are expected to carry out community tasks such as cleaning streets or building homes for vulnerable people.Template:Sfn Most normal services close down during umuganda, and public transportation is limited.Template:Sfn

Cuisine

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Rwanda's cuisine consists of staple foods produced by subsistence agriculture (plantains, pulses, sweet potatoes, beans, cassava) and reflects other East African foods (mandazi, chapati).Template:Sfn For those who live near lakes and have access to fish, tilapia is popular.Template:Sfn The potato, thought to have been introduced to Rwanda by German and Belgian colonialists, is very popular.Template:Sfn Ugali, locally known as Ubugari (or umutsima) is common, a paste made from cassava or maize and water to form a porridge-like consistency that is eaten throughout the African Great Lakes.Template:Sfn Isombe is made from mashed cassava leaves and can be served with dried fish, rice, ugali, potatoes etc.Template:Sfn Lunch is usually a buffet known as mélange, consisting of the above staples and sometimes meat.Template:Sfn Brochettes are the most popular food when eating out in the evening, usually made from goat but sometimes tripe, beef, or fish.Template:Sfn It's important to note however that many children in Rwanda are malnourished (1/3rd for children under five).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In rural areas, many bars have a brochette seller responsible for tending and slaughtering the goats, skewering and barbecuing the meat, and serving it with grilled bananas.Template:Sfn Milk, particularly in a fermented yoghurt form called ikivuguto, is a common drink throughout the country.Template:Sfn Other drinks include a traditional beer called Ikigage made from sorghum and urwagwa, made from bananas, and a soft drink called Umutobe which is banana juice; these popular drinks feature in traditional rituals and ceremonies.Template:Sfn The major drinks manufacturer in Rwanda is Bralirwa, which was established in the 1950s, a Heineken partner, and is now listed on the Rwandan Stock Exchange.Template:Sfn Bralirwa manufactures soft drink products from The Coca-Cola Company, under licence, including Coca-Cola, Fanta, and Sprite,Template:Sfn and a range of beers including Primus, Mützig, Amstel, and Turbo King.Template:Sfn In 2009 a new brewery, Brasseries des Mille Collines (BMC) opened, manufacturing Skol beer and a local version known as Skol Gatanu;Template:Sfn BMC is now owned by Belgian company Unibra.Template:Sfn East African Breweries also operate in the country, importing Guinness, Tusker, and Bell, as well as whisky and spirits.Template:Sfn

Sport

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The Rwandan government, through its Sports Development Policy, promotes sport as a strong avenue for "development and peace building",Template:Sfn and the government has made commitments to advancing the use of sport for a variety of development objectives, including education.Template:Sfn The most popular sports in Rwanda are association football, volleyball, basketball, athletics and Paralympic sports.Template:Sfn Cricket has been growing in popularity,Template:Sfn as a result of refugees returned from Kenya, where they had learned to play the game.Template:Sfn

Cycling, traditionally seen largely as a mode of transport in Rwanda, is also growing in popularity as a sport;Template:Sfn and Team Rwanda have been the subject of a book, Land of Second Chances: The Impossible Rise of Rwanda's Cycling Team and a film, Rising from Ashes.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn The UCI Road World Championships took place in Kigali in September 2025.

Rwandans have been competing at the Olympic Games since 1984,Template:Sfn and the Paralympic Games since 2004.Template:Sfn The country sent seven competitors to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, representing it in athletics, swimming, mountain biking and judo,Template:Sfn and 15 competitors to the London Summer Paralympics to compete in athletics, powerlifting and sitting volleyball.Template:Sfn The country has also participated in the Commonwealth Games since joining the Commonwealth in 2009.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn The country's national basketball team has been growing in prominence since the mid-2000s, with the men's team qualifying for the final stages of the African Basketball Championship four times in a row since 2007.Template:Sfn The country bid unsuccessfully to host the 2013 tournament.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Rwanda's national football team has appeared in the African Cup of Nations once, in the 2004 edition of the tournament,Template:Sfn but narrowly failed to advance beyond the group stages.Template:Sfn The team have failed to qualify for the competition since, and have never qualified for the World Cup.Template:Sfn Rwanda's highest domestic football competition is the Rwanda National Football League;Template:Sfn Template:As of, the dominant team is APR FC of Kigali, having won 13 of the last 17 championships.Template:Sfn Rwandan clubs participate in the Kagame Interclub Cup for Central and East African teams, sponsored since 2002 by President Kagame.Template:Sfn

Notes

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Citations

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General and cited references

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External links

Template:Sister project links Government

The Republic of Rwanda (official government site)

General

Rwanda. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
Rwanda profile from the BBC News
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Tourism

Visit Rwanda (official Rwanda Tourism Board site)

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Rwanda

Contents

Etymology