Demographics of Rwanda
Encyclopedia
This article is about the demographic
features of the population
of Rwanda
, including population density
, ethnicity
, education level, health of the populace, 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/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. The indigenous population consists of three ethnic groups. The Hutu
s, who comprise the majority of the population (85%), are farmers of Bantu origin. The Tutsi
s (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.
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 2011 est.)
0-14 years:
42.9% (male 2,454,924; female 2,418,504)
15-64 years:
54.7% (male 3,097,956; female 3,123,910)
65 years and over:
2.4% (male 110,218; female 164,913) (2011 est.)
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.)
male:
94.71 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
84.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
total population:
47.3 years
male:
46.26 years
female:
48.38 years (2006 est.)
5.43 children born/woman (2006 est.)
4.90 children born/woman (2011 est.)
)
(official), French
(de facto), Swahili
used in commercial centres
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
70.4%
male:
76.3%
female:
64.7% (2003 est.)
Demographics
Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...
features of the population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, including population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
, ethnicity
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Rwanda's population density, even after the 1994 genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
, is among the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
at 230/km² (590/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. The indigenous population consists of three ethnic groups. The Hutu
Hutu
The Hutu , or Abahutu, are a Central African people, living mainly in Rwanda, Burundi, and eastern DR Congo.-Population statistics:The Hutu are the largest of the three peoples in Burundi and Rwanda; according to the United States Central Intelligence Agency, 84% of Rwandans and 85% of Burundians...
s, who comprise the majority of the population (85%), are farmers of Bantu origin. The Tutsi
Tutsi
The Tutsi , or Abatutsi, are an ethnic group in Central Africa. Historically they were often referred to as the Watussi or Watusi. They are the second largest caste in Rwanda and Burundi, the other two being the Hutu and the Twa ....
s (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
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
under a feudal system based on cattleholding. The Twa
Great Lakes Twa
The Great Lakes Twa, also known as Abatwa or Ge-Sera, or in English Batwa, are a pygmy people who are generally assumed to be the oldest surviving population of the Great Lakes region of central Africa, though currently they live as a Bantu caste...
(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
The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.Population
11,370,425note:
estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. This disease can result in lower life expectancy, population, and growth rates; higher infant mortality
Infant mortality
Infant mortality is defined as the number of infant deaths per 1000 live births. Traditionally, the most common cause worldwide was dehydration from diarrhea. However, the spreading information about Oral Re-hydration Solution to mothers around the world has decreased the rate of children dying...
and death rates; and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2011 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years:
42.9% (male 2,454,924; female 2,418,504)
15-64 years:
54.7% (male 3,097,956; female 3,123,910)
65 years and over:
2.4% (male 110,218; female 164,913) (2011 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.)
4.90 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Ethnic groups
- Bantu peoples: HutuHutuThe Hutu , or Abahutu, are a Central African people, living mainly in Rwanda, Burundi, and eastern DR Congo.-Population statistics:The Hutu are the largest of the three peoples in Burundi and Rwanda; according to the United States Central Intelligence Agency, 84% of Rwandans and 85% of Burundians...
84%, TutsiTutsiThe Tutsi , or Abatutsi, are an ethnic group in Central Africa. Historically they were often referred to as the Watussi or Watusi. They are the second largest caste in Rwanda and Burundi, the other two being the Hutu and the Twa ....
15% - Pygmy peoples: TwaGreat Lakes TwaThe Great Lakes Twa, also known as Abatwa or Ge-Sera, or in English Batwa, are a pygmy people who are generally assumed to be the oldest surviving population of the Great Lakes region of central Africa, though currently they live as a Bantu caste...
1% - Others: 16,000 South AsiansSouth Asian ethnic groupsThe ethno-linguistic composition of the population of South Asia, that is the nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka is highly diverse. The majority of the population fall within two large Linguistic groups, Indo-Aryan and Dravidian.These groups are further...
(mostly IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
ns) Arabs 9,300, FrenchFrench peopleThe French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
2,500, BritishWhite BritishWhite British was an ethnicity classification used in the 2001 United Kingdom Census. As a result of the census, 50,366,497 people in the United Kingdom were classified as White British. In Scotland the classification was broken down into two different categories: White Scottish and Other White...
300, Belgian 100
Religions
Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 37.1%, Muslim 4.6%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001) (See Religion in RwandaReligion in Rwanda
The Rwandan government reported on November 1, 2006, that 56.5% of the Rwanda's population is Roman Catholic, 26% is Protestant, 11.1% is Seventh-day Adventist, 4.6% is Muslim, 1.7% claims no religious affiliation, and 0.1% practices traditional indigenous beliefs...
)
Languages
Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
(official), French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
(de facto), Swahili
Swahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
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 : RwandaRwandaRwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...