This article is about the demographic features of the population of Rwanda, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populous, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Rwanda's population density, even after the 1994 genocide, is among the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa at 230/km² (590/mi²). 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. The indigenous population 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. Until 1959, they formed the dominant caste under a feudal system based on cattleholding. The Twa (pygmies) (1%) are thought to be the remnants of the earliest settlers of the region. Over half of the adult population is literate, but no more than 5% have received secondary education. During 1994-95, most primary schools and more than half of prewar secondary schools reopened. The national university in Butare reopened in April 1995; enrollment is over 7,000. Rebuilding the educational system continues to be a high priority of the Rwandan Government.

CIA World Factbook demographic statistics

Demographics of Rwanda, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook.

Population

8,648,248
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS. This disease can result in lower life expectancy, population, and growth rates; higher infant mortality and death rates; and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 41.9% (male 1,558,730; female 1,548,175)
15-64 years: 55.6% (male 1,943,268; female 1,971,542)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 83,699; female 123,715) (2006 est.)

Population growth rate

2.43% (2006 est.)

Birth rate

40.37 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate

16.09 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

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: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate

89.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
male: 94.71 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 84.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 47.3 years
male: 46.26 years
female: 48.38 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.43 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Nationality

noun: Rwandan(s)
adjective: Rwandan

Ethnic groups

Hutu 84%, Tutsi 15%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1%, 16,000 South Asians (mostly Indians) Arabs 9,300, French 2,500, British 300, Belgian 100

Religions

Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim 4.6%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001) (See Religion in Rwanda)

Languages

Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centres

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 70.4%
male: 76.3%
female: 64.7% (2003 est.)

See also : Rwanda