Rwanda — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Rwanda: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Rwanda is in Central Africa, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, north of Burundi. It covers 26,338 sq km. Terrain: mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east. Climate: temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible.
| Capital | Kigali |
|---|---|
| Population | 13,623,302 (2024 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $46.543 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $3,300 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 8.9% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 1.8% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 12% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 37.3% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $3.509 billion (2023 est.) |
| Imports | $5.783 billion (2023 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 66.6 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 21.3 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 17.9% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Independence | 1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship) |
| Languages | Kinyarwanda (official, universal Bantu vernacular) 93.2%, French (official) <0.1%, English (official) <0.1%, Swahili/Kiswahili (official, used in commercial centers) <0.1%, more than one language, other 6.3%, unspecified 0.3% (2002 est.) |
Rwanda’s GDP is $46.543 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $14.252 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 8.9% (2024 est.). See where Rwanda ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
The quarter passed without decisive turns. Governance continued, markets functioned, and the score reflects that uneventfulness.
For countries like this, the real story is always the slow one — and this quarter added no new chapter to it.
- What our model rewards: inflation tamed at 1.8%; the economy grew 8.9% last year — genuine momentum
- What drags it down: a current-account deficit of $2 billion (11.6% of GDP) — living beyond its means; a median age of 21 — a nation of children, its workforce still in the classroom
Gold, Tungsten, Hydropower.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 50.6% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 43.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 3.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 52.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 1.808 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 7.4 TWh (2023) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 1.1 TWh (2023) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 530 kWh per person (2023) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Hydro 52.8%, Gas 20.8%, Oil 17.9%, Coal 4.7%, Solar 3.8% (2023) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 56.6% (2023) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 301.9 gCO2/kWh (2023) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2023.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $3.509 billion (2023 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $5.783 billion (2023 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $2.3 billion (2023), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Paul Kagame — President. President Paul KAGAME (since 22 April 2000)
Rwanda maintains 41 embassies and 1 consulates abroad, hosts 38 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, AU Addis Ababa. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 41 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 1 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 38 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, AU Addis Ababa |
Source: Consular Affairs Center, Diplomatic and Consular Networks Database and Rankings, January 2026 (Zenodo, CC BY 4.0). https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Landlocked — no seacoast; exports move through transit corridors across neighbouring countries. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 8 (registration prefix 9XR) |
Major airports
Kigali International Airport (KGL) — Kigali; Kamembe Airport (KME) — Kamembe.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Rwanda.
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Rwanda — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Rwanda's power score?
Rwanda has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.