Rwanda at its true size
Rwanda covers 26,338 km², number 145 of 194 countries by area. Home to 14,569,341 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 26,338 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 14,569,341 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 553 per km² |
| Capital | Kigali |
| Local time in Kigali | |
| Time zone | UTC+2 IANA |
| Currency | Rwandan franc (RWF) Wikidata |
| Languages | English, French, Swahili, Kinyarwanda |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Landlocked |
| Calling code | +250 |
| Codes | RW · RWA · 646 |
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Where Rwanda ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#77 of 19415 million people#29 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#14 of 194553 people per km²#2 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#170 of 19231% urban#46 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#38 of 1923.65 births per woman#35 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#39 of 192+2.17% a year#28 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#38 of 19228.1 births per 1,000 people#36 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#144 of 1925.9 deaths per 1,000 people#41 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#41 of 19237.0% under 15#36 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#142 of 1924.0% aged 65 and over#16 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#60 of 192+0.4 per 1,000 people#8 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#12 of 19016.78 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#8 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
- Life expectancy#143 of 19268.0 years#16 of 54 in Africa
- Infant mortality#48 of 19129.4 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#38 of 54 in Africa
- Doctors#168 of 1780.09 doctors per 1,000 people#42 of 51 in Africa
- University enrolment#135 of 1459.4% gross enrolment#21 of 29 in Africa
- Human Development Index#156 of 190an index of 0.578#26 of 54 in Africa
Economy
- GNI per capita#165 of 185$1,150 a person#34 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#164 of 18432% online#35 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#160 of 184$4,164 a person#32 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#6 of 187+9.4% a year#3 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#36 of 176+5.9% a year#17 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#28 of 17811.4% of the labour force#16 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#23 of 14938.6% under $3.00 a day#23 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#42 of 149a Gini index of 39.4#19 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#47 of 17835.1% of jobs#31 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#99 of 17818.4% of jobs#16 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#132 of 17846.5% of jobs#23 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#33 of 1845.9% of GDP#9 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#128 of 16821.6% of GDP#30 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#100 of 1551.3% of GDP#27 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#140 of 19193 subscriptions per 100 people#30 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#172 of 1850.16 tonnes a person#43 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#106 of 19226% forest#21 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#17 of 19079.9% renewable#15 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#153 of 19272.0% with electricity#19 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#30 of 19136.0 µg/m³#15 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#146 of 1919.1% of the land protected#39 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#6 of 19048.9% of the land arable#1 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#69 of 17620.2% of its available fresh water#15 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#74 of 1801,212 mm a year#17 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Rwanda’s area, lit up on the map →
- North Macedonia1.02×Rwanda and North Macedonia are almost exactly the same size.
- Haiti0.95×Rwanda is 5% smaller than Haiti.
- Burundi0.95×Rwanda is 5% smaller than Burundi.
- Equatorial Guinea0.94×Rwanda is 6% smaller than Equatorial Guinea.
- Solomon Islands0.93×Rwanda is 7% smaller than Solomon Islands.
- Albania0.92×Rwanda is 8% smaller than Albania.
How many times does Rwanda fit into…
- Russia: about 648 times
- Canada: about 379 times
- United States: about 373 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Rwanda shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Nile6,650 km
- White Nile2,620 km
- Kagera400 km
Summits
- Mount Karisimbi4,507 m
Lakes
- Lake Kivu2,700 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Rwanda. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Rwanda
- How big is Rwanda?
- Rwanda covers 26,338 km², which makes it number 145 of 194 countries by area. About 14,569,341 people live there (2025), 553 per km².
- Is Rwanda bigger than North Macedonia?
- Rwanda and North Macedonia are almost exactly the same size. Rwanda: 26,338 km²; North Macedonia: 25,713 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Rwanda?
- Rwanda lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Rwanda?
- Rwanda shares a land border with DR Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi.