Rwanda - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Rwanda. Landlocked; most of the country is intensively cultivated and rugged, with the population predominantly rural. Mother's mean age at first birth is 23 years (2019/20 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 259 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Rwanda
Location Central Africa, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, north of Burundi
Geographic coordinates 2 00 S, 30 00 E
Map references Africa
Tarrain mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east
Natural Resources gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land
Natural Hazards

periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga Mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo

volcanism: Visoke (3,711 m), located on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is the country's only historically active volcano

Irrigated Land 96 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km) Nile river source (shared with Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt [m]) - 6,650 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 930 km
Border Countries Burundi 315 km; Democratic Republic of the Congo 221 km; Tanzania 222 km; Uganda 172 km
Coastline 0 km (landlocked)
Climate temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible
Area
Total Area
Land Area 24,668 sq km
Water Area 1,670 sq km
comparative Area slightly smaller than Maryland
Maritime Claims
Elevations
Highest point Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m
Lowest point Rusizi River 950 m
Mean elevation 1,598 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 74.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 47% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 10.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 17.4% (2018 est.)
Forest 18% (2018 est.)
Other 7.5% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

One of Africa's most densely populated countries; large concentrations tend to be in the central regions and along the shore of Lake Kivu in the west as shown in this population distribution map

People and Society

In Rwanda, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Hutu, Tutsi, Twa

Population
Pop growth rate 1.62% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 25 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 5.7 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 7.3% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density
Total fertility rate 3.14 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1.54 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 64.1% (2019/20)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 50.4% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 3.8% of GDP (2021 est.)
Net Migration rate -3.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Rwandan | Rwandan(s)
Languages
Religions Christian 95.9% (Protestant 57.7% [includes Adventist 12.6%], Roman Catholic 38.2%), Muslim 2.1%, other 1% (includes traditional, Jehovah's Witness), none 1.1% (2019-20 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 37.2% (male 2,561,884/female 2,508,218)
15-64 years 59.7% (male 3,954,608/female 4,179,844)
65 years and over 3.1% (2024 est.) (male 168,163/female 250,585)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 72.5
Youth dependency ratio 67.1
Elderly dependency ratio 5.4
Potential support ratio 18.4 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 20.8 years (2024 est.)
Male 20.1 years
Female 21.5 years
Urbanization
Urban population 17.9% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 3.07% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 1.248 million KIGALI (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.67 male(s)/female
Total population 0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 24.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 27.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 22.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 66.6 years (2024 est.)
Male 64.6 years
Female 68.6 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 92.3% of population
Improved: rural rural: 80.7% of population
Improved: total total: 82.7% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 7.7% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 19.3% of population
Unimproved: total total: 17.3% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 89.1% of population
Improved: rural rural: 83.2% of population
Improved: total total: 84.2% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 10.9% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 16.8% of population
Unimproved: total total: 15.8% of population (2020 est.)
Major Infectious diseases
Degree of risk very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases malaria, dengue fever, and sexually transmitted diseases: HIV/AIDS (2024)
Animal contact diseases rabies
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 6.35 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 0.23 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 13.7% (2020 est.)
Male 20.1% (2020 est.)
Female 7.2% (2020 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 18 0.4% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile

Rwanda’s fertility rate declined sharply during the last decade, as a result of the government’s commitment to family planning, the increased use of contraceptives, and a downward trend in ideal family size. Increases in educational attainment, particularly among girls, and exposure to social media also contributed to the reduction in the birth rate. The average number of births per woman decreased from a 5.6 in 2005 to 4.5 in 2016 and 3.3 in 2022. Despite these significant strides in reducing fertility, Rwanda’s birth rate remains very high and will continue to for an extended period of time because of its large population entering reproductive age. Because Rwanda is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa, its persistent high population growth and increasingly small agricultural landholdings will put additional strain on families’ ability to raise foodstuffs and access potable water. These conditions will also hinder the government’s efforts to reduce poverty and prevent environmental degradation.

The UNHCR recommended that effective 30 June 2013 countries invoke a cessation of refugee status for those Rwandans who fled their homeland between 1959 and 1998, including the 1994 genocide, on the grounds that the conditions that drove them to seek protection abroad no longer exist. The UNHCR’s decision is controversial because many Rwandan refugees still fear persecution if they return home, concerns that are supported by the number of Rwandans granted asylum since 1998 and by the number exempted from the cessation. Rwandan refugees can still seek an exemption or local integration, but host countries are anxious to send the refugees back to Rwanda and are likely to avoid options that enable them to stay. Conversely, Rwanda itself hosts approximately 125,000 refugees as of 2022; virtually all of them fleeing conflict in neighboring Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

All Important Facts about Rwanda

Want to know more about Rwanda? Check all different factbooks for Rwanda below.

Rwanda is found in Eastern Africa