Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Rwanda
Rwanda: Arrivals of tourists from abroad was 480,000 arrivals in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Rwanda, 2000–2021
Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in arrivals.
Analysis
Rwanda recorded 480,000 arrivals for arrivals of tourists from abroad in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.3% on the previous year and down 42.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arrivals of tourists from abroad in Rwanda peaked at 1.62 million arrivals in 2018 and was at its lowest, 104,000 arrivals, in 2000.
That places Rwanda 129th out of 203 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | arrivals | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 104,000 arrivals | — |
| 2001 | 113,000 arrivals | +8.7% |
| 2006 | 494,000 arrivals | +337.2% |
| 2007 | 567,000 arrivals | +14.8% |
| 2008 | 607,000 arrivals | +7.1% |
| 2009 | 603,000 arrivals | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 605,000 arrivals | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 835,000 arrivals | +38.0% |
| 2012 | 987,000 arrivals | +18.2% |
| 2013 | 1.05 million arrivals | +6.0% |
| 2014 | 1.14 million arrivals | +9.0% |
| 2015 | 1.22 million arrivals | +6.8% |
| 2016 | 1.29 million arrivals | +6.2% |
| 2017 | 1.48 million arrivals | +14.7% |
| 2018 | 1.62 million arrivals | +9.2% |
| 2019 | 1.54 million arrivals | -4.6% |
| 2020 | 460,000 arrivals | -70.2% |
| 2021 | 480,000 arrivals | +4.3% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 480,000 arrivals is above the median for low income countries, which is 366,700 arrivals, 1.3× the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 480,000 arrivals is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 393,000 arrivals, 1.2× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Rwanda changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +337.2% | 113,000 arrivals | 494,000 arrivals |
| 2020 | -70.2% | 1.54 million arrivals | 460,000 arrivals |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 414,667 arrivals | 104,000 arrivals | 607,000 arrivals | 6 |
| 2010s | 1.18 million arrivals | 605,000 arrivals | 1.62 million arrivals | 10 |
| 2020s | 470,000 arrivals | 460,000 arrivals | 480,000 arrivals | 2 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More reference data data for Rwanda
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2282 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9517 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1223 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7651 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.9517 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.666 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arrivals of tourists from abroad in Rwanda?
- Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Rwanda was 480,000 arrivals in 2021, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest arrivals of tourists from abroad recorded in Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 1.62 million arrivals in 2018.
- What is the lowest arrivals of tourists from abroad recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 104,000 arrivals in 2000.
- How does Rwanda rank for arrivals of tourists from abroad?
- Rwanda ranks 129th out of 203 countries with data for 2021.
- Is arrivals of tourists from abroad rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Rwanda data come from?
- The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Arrivals of tourists from abroad. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of trips by visitors who arrive from abroad and stay overnight.