Share of population living in urban areas in Rwanda
Rwanda: Share of population living in urban areas was 92.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban areas in Rwanda, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in urban areas in Rwanda stood at 92.1%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Rwanda peaked at 92.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 41.4%, in 1950.
Rwanda ranks 23rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban areas in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 41.4% | — |
| 1955 | 45.8% | +10.8% |
| 1960 | 50.2% | +9.5% |
| 1965 | 53.7% | +7.0% |
| 1970 | 57.7% | +7.4% |
| 1975 | 61.5% | +6.6% |
| 1980 | 65.7% | +6.8% |
| 1985 | 72.1% | +9.8% |
| 1990 | 77.9% | +8.0% |
| 1995 | 65.3% | -16.1% |
| 2000 | 79.8% | +22.1% |
| 2005 | 81.6% | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 85.3% | +4.6% |
| 2015 | 89.2% | +4.5% |
| 2020 | 92.1% | +3.3% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 92.1% is above the median for low income countries, which is 64.4%, 1.4× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 92.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 69.4%, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 43.6% | 41.4% | 45.8% | 2 |
| 1960s | 52.0% | 50.2% | 53.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 59.6% | 57.7% | 61.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 68.9% | 65.7% | 72.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 71.6% | 65.3% | 77.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 80.7% | 79.8% | 81.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 87.3% | 85.3% | 89.2% | 2 |
| 2020s | 92.1% | 92.1% | 92.1% | 1 |
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 share of population living in urban areas in Rwanda?
- Share of population living in urban areas in Rwanda was 92.1% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 92.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.4% in 1950.
- How does Rwanda rank for share of population living in urban areas?
- Rwanda ranks 23rd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Rwanda data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.