 | |
| Geography |
| Landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with the population predominantly rural |
| Location: | Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Geographic coordinates: | 2 00 S, 30 00 E |
| Area: | total: 26,338 sq km land: 24,668 sq km water: 1,670 sq km
Size comparison: slightly smaller than Maryland |
| Land Boundaries: | total: 893 km border countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km |
| Coastline: | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims: | none (landlocked) |
| Climate: | temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible |
| Terrain: | mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m |
| Natural resources: | gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land |
| Land use: | arable land: 45.56% permanent crops: 10.25% other: 44.19% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 90 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: | periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo volcanism: Visoke (elev. 3,711 m), located on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is the country's only historically active volcano |
| Current Environment Issues: | deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching |
| International Environment Agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
| ^Back to Top |
| People |
| Population: | 12,012,589 (July 2013 est.) note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 42.3% (male 2,561,999/female 2,521,530) 15-24 years: 19.1% (male 1,142,985/female 1,145,500) 25-54 years: 32.2% (male 1,943,017/female 1,929,924) 55-64 years: 3.9% (male 219,111/female 254,064) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 119,086/female 175,373) (2013 est.) population pyramid: |
| Median age: | total: 18.8 years male: 18.6 years female: 19.1 years (2012 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.751% (2012 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 36.14 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Death rate: | 9.64 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 62.51 deaths/1,000 live births male: 66.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 58.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 58.44 years male: 56.96 years female: 59.96 years (2012 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 4.71 children born/woman (2013 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 2.9% (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 170,000 (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 4,100 (2009 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Rwandan(s) adjective: Rwandan |
| Ethnic groups: | Hutu (Bantu) 84%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 15%, Twa (Pygmy) 1% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim 4.6%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001) |
| Languages: | Kinyarwanda (official, universal Bantu vernacular), French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili, used in commercial centers) |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 71.1% male: 74.8% female: 67.5% (2010 est.) |
| ^Back to Top |
| Government |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Rwanda conventional short form: Rwanda local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda local short form: Rwanda former: Ruanda, German East Africa |
| Government type: | republic; presidential, multiparty system |
| Capital: | name: Kigali geographic coordinates: 1 57 S, 30 03 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions: | 4 provinces (in French - provinces, singular - province; in Kinyarwanda - intara for singular and plural) and 1 city* (in French - ville; in Kinyarwanda - umujyi); Est (Eastern), Kigali*, Nord (Northern), Ouest (Western), Sud (Southern) |
| Independence: | 1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 1 July (1962) |
| Constitution: | constitution passed by referendum 26 May 2003 |
| Legal system: | mixed legal system of civil law, based on German and Belgian models, and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Paul KAGAME (since 22 April 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Pierre Damien HABUMUREMYI (since 7 October 2011) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: President elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held on 9 August 2010 (next to be held in 2017) election results: Paul KAGAME elected to a second term as president; Paul KAGAME 93.1%, Jean NTAWUKURIRYAYO 5.1%, Prosper HIGIRO 1.4%, Alvera MUKABAR 0.4% |
| Legislative branch: | bicameral Parliament consists of Senate (26 seats; 12 members elected by local councils, 8 appointed by the president, 4 appointed by the Political Organizations Forum, 2 represent institutions of higher learning; members to serve eight-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies (80 seats; 53 members elected by popular vote, 24 women elected by local bodies, 3 selected by youth and disability organizations; members to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - NA; Chamber of Deputies - last held on 15 September 2008 (next to be held in September 2013) election results: percent of vote by party - RPF 78.8%, PSD 13.1%, PL 7.5%; seats by party - RPF 42, PSD 7, PL 4, additional 27 members indirectly elected |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Court; High Courts of the Republic; Provincial Courts; District Courts; mediation committees |
| Political parties and leaders: | Centrist Democratic Party or PDC [Agnes MUKABARANGA]; Democratic Popular Union of Rwanda or UDPR [Gonzague RWIGEMA]; Democratic Republican Movement or MDR [Celestin KABANDA] (officially banned); Islamic Democratic Party or PDI [Musa Fazil HARERIMANA]; Liberal Party or PL [Protais MITALI]; Party for Democratic Renewal (officially banned); Party for Progress and Concord or PPC [Alvera MUKABARAMBA]; Rwandan Patriotic Front or RPF [Paul KAGAME]; Rwandan Socialist Party or PSR [Jean Baptist RUCIBIGANGO]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Vincent BIRUTA]; Socialist Party-Imberakuri or PS-Imberakuri [Christine MUKABUNANI]; Solidarity and Prosperity Party or PSP [Pheobe KANYANGE] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | IBUKA (association of genocide survivors) |
| International organization participation: | ACP, AfDB, AU, C, CEPGL, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador James KIMONYO chancery: 1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 232-2882 FAX: [1] (202) 232-4544 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Donald W. KORAN embassy: 2657 Avenue de la Gendarmerie, Kigali mailing address: B. P. 28, Kigali telephone: [250] 596-400 FAX: [250] 596-591 |
| ^Back to Top |
| Economy |
| Rwanda is a poor rural country with about 90% of the population engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture and some mineral and agro-processing. Tourism, minerals, coffee and tea are Rwanda's main sources of foreign exchange. Minerals exports declined 40% in 2009-10 due to the global economic downturn. The 1994 genocide decimated Rwanda's fragile economic base, severely impoverished the population, particularly women, and temporarily stalled the country's ability to attract private and external investment. However, Rwanda has made substantial progress in stabilizing and rehabilitating its economy to pre-1994 levels. GDP has rebounded with an average annual growth of 7%-8% since 2003 and inflation has been reduced to single digits. Nonetheless, a significant percent of the population still live below the official poverty line. Despite Rwanda's fertile ecosystem, food production often does not keep pace with demand, requiring food imports. Rwanda continues to receive substantial aid money and obtained IMF-World Bank Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative debt relief in 2005-06. In recognition of Rwanda's successful management of its macro economy, in 2010, the IMF graduated Rwanda to a Policy Support Instrument (PSI). Rwanda also received a Millennium Challenge Threshold Program in 2008. Africa's most densely populated country is trying to overcome the limitations of its small, landlocked economy by leveraging regional trade. Rwanda joined the East African Community and is aligning its budget, trade, and immigration policies with its regional partners. The government has embraced an expansionary fiscal policy to reduce poverty by improving education, infrastructure, and foreign and domestic investment and pursuing market-oriented reforms. Energy shortages, instability in neighboring states, and lack of adequate transportation linkages to other countries continue to handicap private sector growth. The Rwandan government is seeking to become regional leader in information and communication technologies. In 2010, Rwanda neared completion of the first modern Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Kigali. The SEZ seeks to attract investment in all sectors, but specifically in agribusiness, information and communications technologies, trade and logistics, mining, and construction. The global downturn hurt export demand and tourism, but economic growth has recovered, driven in large part by the services sector, but inflation has grown. On the back of this growth, government is gradually ending its fiscal stimulus policy while protecting aid to the poor. |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $14.91 billion (2012 est.) $13.84 billion (2011 est.) $12.75 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $6.95 billion (2012 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 7.7% (2012 est.) 8.6% (2011 est.) 7.2% (2010 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,400 (2012 est.) $1,400 (2011 est.) $1,300 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 33.3% industry: 13.9% services: 52.9% (2012 est.) |
| Labor force: | 4.446 million (2007) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 90% industry and services: 10% (2000) |
| Unemployment rate: | NA% |
| Population below poverty line: | 44.9% (2011 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 43.2% (2011 est.) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 46.8 (2000) 28.9 (1985) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.5% (2012 est.) 4.9% (2011 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 22.1% of GDP (2012 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $1.788 billion expenditures: $1.911 billion (2012 est.) |
| Public debt: | 21.8% of GDP (2012 est.) 24.5% of GDP (2011 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock |
| Industries: | cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 7.5% (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 240.2 million kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 177 |
| Electricity - consumption: | 301.4 million kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 2 million kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 80 million kWh (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 56.63 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.) |
| Current account balance: | -$657.8 million (2012 est.) -$692.2 million (2011 est.) |
| Exports: | $358.1 million (2012 est.) $372.6 million (2011 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | coffee, tea, hides, tin ore |
| Exports - partners: | Kenya 28%, Malaysia 15.5%, China 12.6%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 11.2%, US 5.2%, Swaziland 4.5% (2011) |
| Imports: | $1.414 billion (2012 est.) $1.368 billion (2011 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material |
| Imports - partners: | Kenya 18.3%, Uganda 16.5%, US 10.5%, UAE 8.9%, China 5.8%, Tanzania 5.3% (2011) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $1.198 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $1.05 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $937.2 million (31 December 2012 est.) $907.3 million (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $591.9 million (31 December 2012 est.) $507.3 million (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $13 million (31 December 2012 est.) $13 million (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $NA |
| Exchange rates: | Rwandan francs (RWF) per US dollar - 624.8 (2012 est.) 601.83 (2011 est.) 583.13 (2010 est.) 568.18 (2009) 550 (2008) |
| Fiscal year: | calendar year |
| ^Back to Top |
| Communications |
| Telephones in use: | 38,900 (2011) country comparison to the world: 167 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 4.446 million (2011) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: small, inadequate telephone system primarily serves business, education, and government domestic: the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the provinces by microwave radio relay and, recently, by cellular telephone service; much of the network depends on wire and HF radiotelephone; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone density has increased and now exceeds 40 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 250; international connections employ microwave radio relay to neighboring countries and satellite communications to more distant countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) in Kigali (includes telex and telefax service) (2010) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .rw |
| Internet hosts: | 1,447 (2012) |
| Internet users: | 450,000 (2009) |
| ^Back to Top |
| Transportation |
| Airports: | 7 (2012) country comparison to the world: 167 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2012) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2012) |
| Roadways: | total: 14,008 km paved: 2,662 km unpaved: 11,346 km (2004) |
| Waterways: | (Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft) (2011) |
| Ports and terminals: | Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye |
| ^Back to Top |
| Military |
|
| Military branches: | Rwanda Defense Force (RDF): Rwanda Army (Rwanda Land Force), Rwanda Air Force (2012) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; Rwandan citizenship is required, as is a 9th grade education for enlisted recruits and an A-level certificate for officer candidates; enlistment is either as contract (5-years, renewable twice) or career; retirement (for officers and senior NCOs) after 20 years of service or at 40-60 years of age) (2012) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 2,625,917 females age 16-49: 2,608,110 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,685,066 females age 16-49: 1,749,580 (2010 est.) |
| ^Back to Top |
Previous Country | Next Country 
» Country List