Rwanda: Future Uncertain
Rwanda faces its past and securing post-pandemic economic growth.
Rwanda GDP and Economic Data
Includes Rwanda real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.
Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Rwanda economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Rwanda best banks and safest banks are also available.
Advertisement
Source
Real GDP growth
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017* | 2018* |
| 7.6% | 8.9% | 6.0% | 6.2% | 8.6% |
*Estimate
Source
Advertisement
Source
GDP - composition by sector
- agriculture: 29.0%
- industry: 16.2%
- services: 47.8%
(2016 estimate)
Inflation
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017* | 2018* |
| 2.5% | 5.7% | 4.8% | 1.4% | 3.5% |
*Estimate
Source
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017* | 2018* |
| 29.7% | 32.9% | 36.5% | 40.7% | 49.1% |
*Estimate
Source
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017* | 2018* |
| -2.8% | -2.3% | -2.5% | -2.6% | -3.7% |
*Estimate
Source
Government bond ratings
Standard & Poor's: B+
Moody's: B2
Standard & Poor's / Moody's (Updated January 2017)
Source
Source
Current account balance by percentage of GDP
-11.9% (2017 estimate)
Source
Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services)
14.4% (2015)
Shares in world total merchandising export
0.004% (2015)
Shares in world total commercial services export
0.007% (2015)
Advertisement
Source
Import commodities
Foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material
Exports - major partners
Democratic Republic of the Congo 19.8%, US 10.8%, China 10.3%, Swaziland 7.9%, Malaysia 7%, Pakistan 6.2%, Germany 5.9%, Thailand 5.5% (2015)
Imports - major partners
Uganda 15.7%, Kenya 11.8%, India 8.7%, China 8.7%, UAE 8.6%, Russia 6.6%, Tanzania 5.1% (2015)
FDI inflows
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| USD 258 million | USD 459 million | USD 471 million |
FDI outflows
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| USD 13.5 million | USD 1.7 million | N/A |
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | USD 0.2 million |
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014
N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015
N/A
Best countries for doing business
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.
Overall ranking: 56 out of 190 countries (2017)
Subcategories:
Starting a business: 76 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 95 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 4 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 2 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 102 out of 190 countries
Trading Across Borders: 87 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 59 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 158 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 117 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 73 out of 190 countries
Source
Global competitiveness ranking
52 out of 138 countries
(2016-2017)
Index of Economic Freedom
Ranking: 71 / Score: 63.07 (Moderately free) (2016)
(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)
Source
Source
Languages
Kinyarwanda (official, universal Bantu vernacular) 93.2%, French (official) <.1, English (official) <.1, Swahili/Kiswahili (official, used in commercial centers) <.1, more than one language, other 6.3%, unspecified 0.3% (2002 est.)
Religions
Protestant 49.5% (includes Adventist 11.8% and other Protestant 37.7%), Roman Catholic 43.7%, Muslim 2%, other 0.9% (includes Jehovah's Witness), none 2.5%, unspecified 1.3%(2012 est.)
Total population
| 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2015 | 2020* |
| 6.45 million | 7.5 million | 10.0 million | 11.26 million | 12.67 million |
*Estimate
Source
Advertisement
Source
Urban population as % of total population
| 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2018 |
| 2.6% | 4.7% | 14.9% | 17.2% |
Literacy
Total population: 70.5%
Male: 73.2%
Female: 68%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day
79.7% (last available estimate, 2016)
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)
43.7 (last available estimate, 2016)
(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)
Source
Freedom House rating
Political Rights: 6
Civil Liberties: 6 (2019)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)
Source
Total telephone subscribers as % of population
Fixed: 0.1% Mobile: 78.9% (2018)
(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)