Rwanda
- Capital:
- Kigali
- Continent:
- Africa
- Region(s):
- Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa
- Largest Cities:
- Kigali, Butare, Gitarama
- Abbreviation:
- RWA
Rwanda's population structure shows a slightly lower male to female ratio of 0.96 to 1, with a median male age of 20.58 years old and a median female age of 21.87 years old. The highest concentration of adults under 75 years old is in the 19 and 20 year-old age groups, while the lowest concentration is in the 74 and 73 year-old age groups.
Data after 2022 is projected based on recent change
Overall: 21.22
Male: 20.58
Female: 21.87
There are 8,471,721 adults, (611,649 of whom are seniors) in Rwanda.
Female: 7,615,949 (51.1%)
Male: 7,273,748 (48.9%)
* As of 2/9/2026
1 birth
Every 1.3 minutes
1 death
Every 6.1 minutes
1 emigrant
Every 1.3 hours
1 person
Every 1.7 minutes
33K
100K
250K
500K
750K
1M
| City | 2026 Pop. ↓ |
|---|---|
| Kigali | 1,373,440 |
| Butare | 89,600 |
| Gitarama | 87,613 |
| Musanze | 86,685 |
| Gisenyi | 83,623 |
| Byumba | 70,593 |
| Cyangugu | 63,883 |
| Kibuye | 48,024 |
| Rwamagana | 47,203 |
| Kibungo | 46,240 |
Rwanda is a sovereign state in central Africa with a widely varied geography. Rwanda has one of the highest population densities in Africa (1,060/sq mi) with a young, mostly rural population.
94% of the people in Rwanda practice some form of Christianity, making it the dominant religion by far. Of the remaining population, 4.6% practice Islam, and 1.4% practice something else. Of the 94% of the population that is Christian, 56.9% are Catholic, 26.0% are Protestant, and 11.1% are Seventh-Day Adventists. Within the small percentage of people that practice other religions, there are a few secretive and small groups of Buddhists and Hindus- most of which have immigrated from elsewhere.
Since the turn of the 21st century, Rwanda has been experiencing significant economic growth- largely due to policy reform. Unfortunately, it is projected that the current growth is unsustainable because the foundation of the government is institutionally weak. The main industries within Rwanda are agriculture, energy, industry, and tourism.
The main religion in Rwanda is Protestant.
Rwanda was first settled by hunter-gatherers, then Bantu settlers. In 1884, Germany colonized the country, then Belgium during WWI. In 1959, the Hulu people revolted, massacring a large number of Tutsi people and establishing a new state three years later. The Tutsi launched a civil war in 1990, then a genocide in 1994 in which Hutu extremists killed up to one million Tutsi and Hutu.