Polity · 1960 CE – present
Republic of Rwanda
Jamhuri ya Rwanda · Repubulika y'u Rwanda · Rwanda
Also recorded as Rwanda
- Peak recorded area
- 25,620 km²
- 1963 CE
- Rulers on record
- 19
- from 1960 CE
- Data series
- 377
- 1960 CE–2025 CE
Overview
Rwanda, 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.
Lead section from Wikipedia, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article.
Territory
2 dated territorial extents on record from Cliopatria. Areas are measured off the recorded polygons; the line steps because each extent holds until the next one is recorded — nothing is interpolated. CShapes 2.0 holds 1 further extent, measured on a different basis and deliberately not merged into this series.
The record
The best-attested series in each category; where several projects publish the same quantity, the one with the most observations is shown. Each row is the most recent value the record holds at or before the last complete year, shown with the year that value belongs to. Some statistical series also publish forward projections — the year column is the honest guide. Nothing on this page is interpolated or estimated by us.
People
6 of 57 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Population216 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 14.6Mpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy165 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 68.24years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Net Migration141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 6,282persons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Population Growth141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 2.23% annual2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Female140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 70.39years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Male140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 65.91years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
Economy
6 of 157 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita PPP220 obs · 1800 CE–2019 CE | 1,961int'l $ (inflation adj.)2019 CE · Gapminder |
| GDP Current Usd111 obs · 1960 CE–2025 CE | 16.4Bcurrent US$2025 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| GDP per capita73 obs · 1950 CE–2022 CE | 2,198.072011 int'l $2022 CE · Maddison Project Database 2023 |
| Gross Capital Formation % GDP65 obs · 1960 CE–2024 CE | 25.91%_gdp2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Fao Cattle Stocks64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 1.5Mhead2024 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Cereals Area Harvested64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 546.6Kha2024 CE · FAOSTAT |
Military
6 of 21 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Military Expenditure % GDP104 obs · 1973 CE–2024 CE | 1.25% of GDP2024 CE · SIPRI Military Expenditure Database |
| CINC Score55 obs · 1962 CE–2016 CE | 0.0006CINC (share of world capability)2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Energy Consumption55 obs · 1962 CE–2016 CE | 3Mcoal-ton equivalents2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Iron Steel Production55 obs · 1962 CE–2016 CE | 0tons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Expenditure55 obs · 1962 CE–2016 CE | 88Mcurrent USD2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Personnel55 obs · 1962 CE–2016 CE | 33Kpersons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
Territory & resources
6 of 64 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Arable Land %126 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 46.98% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Forest Area %68 obs · 1990 CE–2023 CE | 11.31% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Agricultural Land %63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 76.33%2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Arable Land per capita Ha63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 0.0831hectares per person2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Fao Agricultural Land63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 1.9Mha2023 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Arable Land63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 1.2Mha2023 CE · FAOSTAT |
Governance
6 of 29 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Electoral Democracy Index109 obs · 1916 CE–2024 CE | 0.202index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Liberal Democracy Index109 obs · 1916 CE–2024 CE | 0.09index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Participatory Democracy Index109 obs · 1916 CE–2024 CE | 0.133index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Regime Type109 obs · 1916 CE–2024 CE | 1RoW index (0-3)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Rule Of Law Index109 obs · 1916 CE–2024 CE | 0.394index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Polity252 obs · 1961 CE–2012 CE | -4index (-10 to 10)2012 CE · Clio-Infra |
Development
6 of 49 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Freedom Of Expression Index109 obs · 1916 CE–2024 CE | 0.152index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Mobile Subscriptions Per 10052 obs · 1960 CE–2023 CE | 91.46per_1002023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Tech Electricity Production48 obs · 1948 CE–1998 CE | 164MGWh1998 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Dpt Immunization %44 obs · 1981 CE–2024 CE | 98%2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Measles Immunization %44 obs · 1981 CE–2024 CE | 97%2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Pupil Teacher Ratio Primary44 obs · 1971 CE–2018 CE | 59.51ratio2018 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
Rulers
19 on record with dated reigns. Reign years follow the house convention: BCE years are negative.
- Grégoire KayibandaPrime Minister of Rwanda1960 CE – 1962 CE
- Dominique MbonyumutwaPresident of Rwanda1961 CE
- Grégoire KayibandaPresident of Rwanda1961 CE – 1973 CE
- Juvénal HabyarimanaPresident of Rwanda1973 CE – 1994 CE
- Sylvestre NsanzimanaPrime Minister of Rwanda1991 CE – 1992 CE
- Dismas NsengiyaremyePrime Minister of Rwanda1992 CE – 1993 CE
- Agathe UwilingiyimanaPrime Minister of Rwanda1993 CE – 1994 CE
- Faustin TwagiramunguPrime Minister of Rwanda1994 CE – 1995 CE
- Jean KambandaPrime Minister of Rwanda1994 CE
- Pasteur BizimunguPresident of Rwanda1994 CE – 2000 CE
- Paul KagameVice President of Rwanda1994 CE – 2000 CE
- Théodore SindikubwaboPresident of Rwanda1994 CE
- Pierre-Célestin RwigemaPrime Minister of Rwanda1995 CE – 2000 CE
- Bernard MakuzaPrime Minister of Rwanda2000 CE – 2011 CE
- Paul KagameHead of State2000 CE –
- Pierre HabumuremyiPrime Minister of Rwanda2011 CE – 2014 CE
- Anastase MurekeziHead of Government2014 CE – 2017 CE
- Édouard NgirenteHead of Government2017 CE – 2025 CE
- Justin NsengiyumvaHead of Government2025 CE –
Country profile
From the CIA World Factbook 2024. Long entries are trimmed at a sentence boundary.
- Location
- Central Africa, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, north of Burundi
- Government type
- presidential republic
- Executive branch
- chief of state: President Paul KAGAME (since 22 April 2000); head of government: Prime Minister Justin NSENGIYUMVA (since 23 July 2025); cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; election/appointment process: president directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
- Ethnic groups
- Hutu, Tutsi, Twa
- Natural resources
- gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land
- Economy
- low-income Sub-Saharan economy; services, industry, and agriculture sectors driving growth; increased government spending on human capital, energy, and healthcare; major infrastructure projects including the Bugesera Airport intended to support long-term growth;
Language & currency
- Official & national languages
- English <, French <, Kinyarwanda, Swahili/Kiswahili <
- Currency
- Rwandan francs (RWF)
Memberships
- United NationsUNInternational organisation · member1962 CE –
- 14-member Defense Pact (1961)Military alliance · member1963 CE – 1964 CE
- Democratic Republic of the Congo–Burundi–Rwanda Defense Pact (1966)Military alliance · member1966 CE – 1994 CE
- 11-member Defense Pact (2000)Military alliance · member2000 CE –
- African UnionAUInternational organisation · founding member2002 CE –
- 11-member Defense Pact (2006)Military alliance · member2006 CE –
Sources
Every figure above comes from one of these. Nothing on this page is estimated, interpolated or model-generated.
CHAT (Comin-Hobijn)2009 (FinalCHAT_72909)
Comin, D. & Hobijn, B. (2009). The CHAT Dataset. NBER Working Paper 15319.
NBER research data, freely downloadable
CIA World Factbook 2024
Clio-Infra2017 datasets
Clio-Infra project (2017). Reconstructions of global inequality and well-being. International Institute of Social History.
Academic use, attribution
Seshat Global History Databank. Cliopatria: a historical basemap of polity borders (cliopatria.geojson).
Correlates of War NMC v6.0v6.0
Singer, J.D. (1987). National Material Capabilities Data (NMC), v6.0. Correlates of War Project.
Free academic use, citation
FAOSTAT2024 release
FAO (2024). FAOSTAT Statistical Database. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.
CC BY 4.0
Gapminderv14 / systema globalis
Gapminder Foundation. Gapminder systema globalis dataset.
CC BY 4.0
Maddison Project Database 20232023
Bolt, J. & van Zanden, J.L. (2024). Maddison Project Database 2023. University of Groningen GGDC.
CC BY 4.0
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database2024
SIPRI (2024). Military Expenditure Database.
Free for non-commercial use, attribution
UN World Population Prospects 20242024
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
CC BY 3.0 IGO
V-Dem v15v15
Coppedge, M. et al. (2025). V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v15. Varieties of Democracy Project.
Free academic/non-commercial use, attribution
Wikipedia contributors. Article lead sections, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
World Bank World Development Indicators2024 release
World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators. Washington, DC.
CC BY 4.0
Republic of Rwanda is one of the polities with a sourced record deep enough to publish.