Rwanda

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Rwanda spends US$121 million on its military, or 1.16 percent of its GDP. This makes Rwanda the 133rd highest military spender in the world and represents 0.006 percent of total global military expenditure.

The military of Rwanda, called the Rwanda defence force consists of a land force and an air force. Despite having a high military expenditure in the past, Rwanda has been on a path of demobilization and has halved the size of its Army in the 21st century.

Military membership

Rwanda is also a member of 4 international military organizations. This makes it the 130th most militarily connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Rwanda has partaken in 5 international wars. These are:

First Congo War 1996-1997
Second Congo War 1998-1003
Six-Day War 1000-1000
M13 rebellion 2011-2013
South Sudanese Civil War 2013-2010

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, Rwanda is a member of 11 international political organizations. This makes it the 117th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
African Union
East African Community
Commonwealth of Nations

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

At the end of the Rwandan genocide, the Rwandan patriotic front took control and maintained control to this day. This political party has suppressed the rise of competing political parties by means ranging from intimidation to assassination. This makes Rwanda the 134th most democratic state in the world.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Rwanda take place in the form of a semi-presidential republic where the Prime Minister is head of government and the president is head of state. Most of its political structure has been based on its former colonial rulers, Belgium and Germany. Rwanda has also created a constitution that distances itself from its past by banning genocide in all forms.

Member states of the Organization internationale de la Francophonie
Interpol
Global Green Growth Institute
Association of World Election Bodies
World Organization for Animal Health

If you liked this page, and you want to support us, please take a look at the support options on the top bar.

If you want to know more about other states, click on the flag on the right to discover Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Known as the land of 1000 hills, Rwanda, which means large, has had a dark 20th century. Before its contacts with Europeans, the area was inhabited by the Pygmy people. Its first contact with Europeans was in the second half of the 19th century when British explorers visited the area. At the end of the 19th century, it became a German colony. During the first world war, the area was occupied by Belgium which made it their colony. During this time, there were two different populations residing within Rwanda, the Hutu’s and the Tutsi's. The Belgians mainly gave control to the Tutsi population. With increasing demands for representation for the Hutu population, a civil war ensued. After ousting the Tutsi's and gaining its independence in 1962, the Hutu population gained political control. After its independence, an inter-ethnic war ensued leading to nearly a million deaths and millions that were displaced. After a military intervention by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the internal clashes diminished with several thousands of people arrested and put on trial for the atrocities that are also known as the Rwandan genocide.

Located in Central Africa, the geography of Rwanda mainly consists of rolling hills with the exception of a mountain range that runs through its Western part. Most of its terrain is lightly forested while its mountain area is densely forested. In total, it borders four other states with Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west.

It is the 144th largest state with a total surface area of 26.470 square kilometers or 10.220 square miles. This makes Rwanda slightly smaller than North Macedonia and slightly larger than Haiti.

It has a total water surface area of 1.678 square kilometers or 643 square miles. This makes Rwanda the 94th largest state in the world.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Rwanda is a home to many rivers as well as large lakes that provide the majority of water for its agriculture. However, most of its drinking water is derived from groundwater which is mainly pumped up by hand and is considered unsafe to drink.

The climate of Rwanda has a tropical climate. However, due to its high elevation, it experiences lower average temperatures. The average temperature is 18.925 degrees Celsius or 66 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes Rwanda the 115th warmest state in the world.

During summer, from October to December, the average high temperature is 24.6 degrees Celsius or 76 degrees Fahrenheit.

During winter, from June to August, the average low temperature is 14.7 degrees Celsius or 58.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Despite being a landlocked and being located more than 500 kilometers to the nearest ocean, Rwanda receives relatively high amounts of rainfall due to its high elevation, its proximity to tropical rain forest as well as large freshwater lakes. On average, Rwanda receives 119.3 centimetres or 47 inches of rainfall per year which ranks it as the 75th highest in the world.

The capital of Rwanda, Kigali, is home to approximately 1 million people. The closest capital is Bujumbura, Burundi, with distance of 168 kilometers or 104 miles. The capital that is the furthest removed is Apia, Samoa, with a distance of 17.029 kilometers or 10.582 miles.

The economy of Rwanda is considered to be an underdeveloped economy with a large focus on subsistence farming. As a result of its civil wars, foreign investments have been kept off for many decades leaving Rwanda underdeveloped until the start of the 21st century. Since then, Rwanda has started to attract investments into its mining sector which has led to a steady economic growth in exporting raw materials. Most of the exported products are gold, iron as well as agricultural products which are mainly exported to two the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Arab Emirates. Most of its imports comes from China which is solely responsible for 20 percent.

Rwanda is a member of 12 international economic organizations. This makes it the 105th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Alliance for Financial Inclusion
African development Bank
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
International Monetary Fund
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
International Bamboo and Rattan Organization
Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
International Renewable Energy Agency
International Solar Alliance
Group of 77

It has a GDP of US$10.068 million, which makes it the 147th highest in the world and represents 0.00012 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per surface area is the 104th highest in the world with US$380.364 per square kilometer or US$985.153 per square mile.

Its GDP per capita is the 176th highest in the world with US$798.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power parity per capita is the 172nd highest in the world with US$2.273.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

With a total population of 12.6 million people, Rwanda is the 75th most populous state in the world. The Hutu population is the largest population and represents around 80 percent while the Tutsi population represents around 10 percent. Kinyarwanda, the language spoken by Tutsi people is, alongside with French and English, its official language.

It has the 17th highest population density in the world with 475 people per square kilometer or 1231 people per square mile.

Emigration represents around four percent of the population, or nearly 500,000 people. This makes Rwanda the 109th state with the highest number of emigrants and represents 0.2 percent of total global emigration. The main reason for migration has been economic tightening by the government of Rwanda which has led to economic migration to its neighbouring states. Its higher educated population has mainly migrated to its Western states. The largest recipient of migrants from Rwanda is the Democratic Republic of the Congo which is solely responsible for 65 percent of all migrants.

Immigration to Rwanda has been limited by the government of Rwanda. However, due to a lack of border enforcement, illegal migration has been highly present. Currently, around 4.3 percent of the population, or nearly 550,000 people have migrated to Rwanda. This makes Rwanda the 57th state with the highest number of immigrants and represents 0.21 percent of total global immigration. The largest supplier of migrants to Rwanda has been the Democratic Republic of the Congo which is responsible for more than 60 percent of all immigrants.

Rwanda is the 158th most literate state in the world with a literacy rate of 71.3 percent. Despite making some investments by the government of Rwanda, it has currently been unable to raise the literacy rate.

The health care system of Rwanda has made large strides in the 21st century. Aside from investing in its healthcare system, it is also invested in factors that contribute to overall health such as housing and the improvement of drinking water. The largest health threats in Rwanda come from communicable diseases such as malaria, HIV AIDS and tuberculosis. the average life expectancy is 70.02 years which is the 156th highest in the world. Women have an average life expectancy of 72.16 years, while men have an average life expectancy of 67.8 years.

The government of Rwanda provides freedom of religion towards all religions under any circumstance.

With 78 percent of the population adhering to Christianity, Rwanda is the 62nd most Christian state in the world. The largest denomination is Roman Catholicism followed by Protestantism which combined represent 80 percent of all Christians.

Islam is the second largest religion in the Rwanda and is represented by 3.8 percent of the population. The vast majority adheres to the Sunni branch of Islam and are descendants from Muslim traders that arrived in Rwanda at the start of the 20th century.

There are no official Buddhist organizations in Rwanda.

There are no official Hindu organizations in Rwanda.

There are no official Jewish statistics in Rwanda. However, Rwanda has public relations with Israel.

Other religions are represented by 0.8 percent of the population and mainly consists of indigenous beliefs that are followed by ethnic minorities within its border.

Irreligion is represented by 2.4 percent of the population. Despite being stigmatized by the population, it still has a relatively high share of irreligious people which is mainly the consequence of experiences during the Rwandan genocide.