Rwanda's population density, even after the 1994 genocide, is among the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa at 500 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,300/sq mi). This country has few villages, and nearly every family lives in a self-contained compound on a hillside. The urban concentrations are grouped around administrative centers.
Over half of the adult population is literate, but no more than 5% have received secondary education.
The Rwandan population largely consists of three ethnic groups. The Hutus, who comprise the majority of the population (85%), are farmers of Bantu origin. The Tutsis (14% before the Genocide, probably less than 10% now) are a pastoral people who arrived in the area in the 15th century.[citation needed] Until 1959, they formed the dominant caste under a feudal system based on cattleholding.[1]
The Twa (pygmies) (1%) are thought to be the remnants of the earliest settlers of the region.
Population
Children carrying firewood near Lake KivuA graph showing the historical population of Rwanda.
In 1950, Rwanda had a very narrow population pyramid, with less than 250,000 males and females between 0–10 years old. The graph only gets narrower as it goes up with virtually no-one living past 50 years of age. In 2017, we see the population of Rwanda increase dramatically from 1950 with about 750,000 people between 0–20 years old, the graph remains very narrow in the older ages section but has improved from 1950. By 2050, it is predicted that more people will be living longer and the structure will broaden overall. By 2100, it is predicted that there will be more people aged between 30 and 60 than between 0–20 as previous years have shown.[2]
According to the 2022 revision of the World Population Prospects[3][4] the total population was 13,461,888 in 2021, compared to only 2,072,000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 42.6%, 54.7% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 2.7% was 65 years or older
.[5]
Population
Total population (in thousands)
Population aged 0–14 (%)
Population aged 15–64 (%)
Population aged 65+ (%)
1950
2,072
45.1
52.3
2.6
1955
2,386
46.3
50.8
2.9
1960
2,771
48.1
49.1
2.8
1965
3,221
47.8
49.5
2.7
1970
3,749
47.8
49.7
2.5
1975
4,390
47.7
49.9
2.4
1980
5,179
48.1
49.7
2.2
1985
6,081
48.9
49.1
2.0
1990
7,110
49.1
48.7
2.2
1995
5,570
48.4
49.3
2.3
2000
8,098
45.4
52.0
2.6
2005
9,202
42.4
55.0
2.7
2010
10,624
42.6
54.7
2.7
2012
10,516
41.16
55.65
3.19
Structure of the population
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2012) (Data refer to national projections.):[6]
Age group
Male
Female
Total
%
Total
5,342,112
5,691,029
11,033,141
100
0–4
973,447
957,104
1,930,551
17.50
5–9
770,292
763,709
1,534,001
13.90
10–14
608,836
621,378
1,230,213
11.15
15–19
552,629
568,101
1,120,730
10.16
20–24
525,485
550,486
1,075,971
9.75
25–29
508,839
540,872
1,049,712
9.51
30–34
366,700
416,072
782,772
7.09
35–39
241,362
291,340
532,702
4.83
40–44
197,005
228,728
425,733
3.86
45–49
165,096
193,402
358,499
3.25
50–54
153,080
180,759
333,839
3.03
55–59
107,200
132,234
239,433
2.17
60–64
71,924
92,299
164,223
1.49
65–69
38,125
58,585
96,710
0.88
70–74
29,285
46,236
75,521
0.68
75–79
17,736
27,557
45,293
0.41
80+
15,071
22,178
37,239
0.34
0–14
2,352,575
2,342,191
4,694,766
42.55
15–64
2,889,320
3,194,282
6,083,602
55.14
65+
100,217
154,556
254,773
2.31
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2019) (Projections based on the 2012 Population Census.):[7]
Age Group
Male
Female
Total
%
Total
6 008 384
6 366 013
12 374 397
100
0–4
844 359
828 304
1 672 663
13.52
5–9
764 098
763 070
1 527 168
12.34
10–14
757 029
764 727
1 521 756
12.30
15–19
669 226
685 385
1 354 611
10.95
20–24
559 045
580 570
1 139 615
9.21
25–29
502 947
533 613
1 036 560
8.38
30–34
464 011
487 289
951 301
7.69
35–39
399 641
420 377
820 018
6.63
40–44
272 423
311 994
584 417
4.72
45–49
193 490
233 052
426 542
3.45
50–54
158 153
188 719
346 872
2.80
55–59
143 753
177 803
321 557
2.60
60–64
113 795
145 306
259 101
2.09
65-69
75 204
99 427
174 630
1.41
70-74
41 032
60 933
101 965
0.82
75-79
24 110
41 408
65 519
0.53
80+
26 067
44 035
70 102
0.57
Age group
Male
Female
Total
Percent
0–14
2 365 486
2 356 101
4 721 587
38.16
15–64
3 476 485
3 764 109
7 240 594
58.51
65+
166 413
245 803
412 216
3.33
Vital statistics
Registration of vital events is in Rwanda not complete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.[8]
urban population: 17.7% of total population (2022)
rate of urbanization: 3.07% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
urban population: 17.2% of total population (2018)
rate of urbanization: 2.86% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 65.85 years. Country comparison to the world: 199th
male: 63.89 years
female: 67.86 years (2022 est.)
total population: 64.5 years (2018 est.)
male: 62.6 years (2018 est.)
female: 66.5 years (2018 est.)
total population: 64.3 years
male: 62.3 years
female: 66.3 years (2017 est.)
Major infectious diseases
degree of risk: very high (2020)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
animal contact diseases: rabies
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.70 male(s)/female
total population: 1.00 male(s)/female (2017 est.)