Rural population growth in Rwanda
Rwanda: Rural population growth was 0.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rural population growth in Rwanda, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population growth in Rwanda stood at 0.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and down 55.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in Rwanda peaked at 15.1% in 1996 and was at its lowest, -19.4%, in 1995.
That places Rwanda 71st out of 207 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.7% | 2.2% | 3.0% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.8% | 2.7% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.2% | 3.0% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2% | -19.4% | 15.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.8% | -0.5% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.6% | 0.4% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | -0.1% | 0.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More agriculture & rural data for Rwanda
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2022)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2022)
- Rural population 69.1% (2025)
- Rural population 10.07 million (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 20.3% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.32 billion current US$ (2025)
- Land under cereal production 546,634 hectares (2024)
- Cereal yield 1,784 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal production 975,199 metric tons (2024)
- Fertilizer consumption 31.84 kilograms per hectare of arable land (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in Rwanda?
- Rural population growth in Rwanda was 0.7% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 15.1% in 1996.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was -19.4% in 1995.
- How does Rwanda rank for rural population growth?
- Rwanda ranks 71st out of 207 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 55.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Rwanda data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.