Rural population in Rwanda
Rwanda: Rural population was 69.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Rwanda, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Rwanda is 69.1%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Rwanda peaked at 97.4% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 69.1%, in 2025.
That places Rwanda 23rd out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 97.4% | — |
| 1961 | 97.3% | -0.1% |
| 1962 | 97.3% | -0.1% |
| 1963 | 97.2% | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 97.2% | -0.1% |
| 1965 | 97.1% | -0.1% |
| 1966 | 97.1% | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 97.0% | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 96.9% | -0.1% |
| 1969 | 96.9% | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 96.8% | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 96.6% | -0.1% |
| 1972 | 96.5% | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 96.2% | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 96.0% | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 95.8% | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 95.6% | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 95.4% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 95.3% | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 95.2% | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 95.2% | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 95.1% | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 95.1% | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 95.1% | -0.0% |
| 1984 | 95.0% | -0.0% |
| 1985 | 95.0% | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 95.0% | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 94.9% | -0.0% |
| 1988 | 94.9% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 94.8% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 94.7% | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 94.6% | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 94.3% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 93.6% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 92.5% | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 91.2% | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 89.7% | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 88.2% | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 86.7% | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 85.3% | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 84.2% | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 83.5% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 83.1% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 83.1% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 83.1% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 83.1% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 83.1% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 83.1% | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 83.1% | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 83.1% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 83.1% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 83.1% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 83.1% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 82.9% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 82.5% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 81.8% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 80.9% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 79.8% | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 78.5% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 77.0% | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 75.5% | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 73.9% | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 72.2% | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 71.1% | -1.5% |
| 2024 | 70.1% | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 69.1% | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 97.1% | 96.9% | 97.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 96.0% | 95.2% | 96.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 95.0% | 94.8% | 95.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 91.1% | 85.3% | 94.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 83.2% | 83.1% | 84.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.3% | 77.0% | 83.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 72.0% | 69.1% | 75.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
- 20 Burkina Faso 71.1% compare
- 21 Saint Lucia 70.9% compare
- 22 Myanmar 69.4% compare
- 24 Solomon Islands 68.7% compare
- 25 Saint Kitts and Nevis 68.1% compare
- 26 Uganda 68.1% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Rwanda
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.79 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.203 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 228.16 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.6953 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6909 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture share gdp 20.3 (2025)
- Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 20.3 (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2022)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Rwanda?
- Rural population in Rwanda was 69.1% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 97.4% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.1% in 2025.
- How does Rwanda rank for rural population?
- Rwanda ranks 23rd out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Rwanda data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.