Population in the largest city in Rwanda
Rwanda: Population in the largest city was 29.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population in the largest city in Rwanda, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
Rwanda recorded 29.5% for population in the largest city in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.3% on the previous year and down 34.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in Rwanda peaked at 64.0% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 29.5%, in 2025.
That places Rwanda 77th out of 153 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 43.7% | — |
| 1961 | 43.8% | +0.2% |
| 1962 | 44.1% | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 44.7% | +1.3% |
| 1964 | 45.3% | +1.4% |
| 1965 | 45.8% | +1.1% |
| 1966 | 46.1% | +0.8% |
| 1967 | 46.3% | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 46.4% | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 46.4% | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 46.1% | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 46.6% | +1.0% |
| 1972 | 46.7% | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 46.5% | -0.3% |
| 1974 | 46.4% | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 46.4% | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 46.8% | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 47.5% | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 48.8% | +2.7% |
| 1979 | 49.3% | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 49.7% | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 50.3% | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 50.9% | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 51.6% | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 52.2% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 52.9% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 53.6% | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 54.3% | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 55.0% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 55.6% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 56.3% | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 57.3% | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 57.5% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 53.2% | -7.5% |
| 1994 | 58.0% | +9.1% |
| 1995 | 64.0% | +10.3% |
| 1996 | 50.3% | -21.4% |
| 1997 | 41.3% | -17.9% |
| 1998 | 38.5% | -6.7% |
| 1999 | 38.0% | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 38.4% | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 39.7% | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 42.1% | +5.9% |
| 2003 | 42.9% | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 43.2% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 43.6% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 44.0% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 44.4% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 44.8% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 45.2% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 45.6% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 46.1% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 46.6% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 46.8% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 46.2% | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 44.9% | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 43.2% | -3.7% |
| 2017 | 41.3% | -4.4% |
| 2018 | 39.3% | -4.9% |
| 2019 | 37.3% | -5.1% |
| 2020 | 35.4% | -5.2% |
| 2021 | 33.6% | -5.1% |
| 2022 | 31.9% | -5.1% |
| 2023 | 31.0% | -2.8% |
| 2024 | 30.2% | -2.4% |
| 2025 | 29.5% | -2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 45.2% | 43.7% | 46.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 47.1% | 46.1% | 49.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 52.6% | 49.7% | 55.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 51.4% | 38.0% | 64.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.8% | 38.4% | 45.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.7% | 37.3% | 46.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.9% | 29.5% | 35.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More urban development data for Rwanda
- Population density 565.64 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 36.01 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.0913 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 1.33 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 3.25 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 50.57 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 1.33 million (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 13.52 Hectares (2020)
- PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO 100.0% (2017)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in Rwanda?
- Population in the largest city in Rwanda was 29.5% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 64.0% in 1995.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.5% in 2025.
- How does Rwanda rank for population in the largest city?
- Rwanda ranks 77th out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Rwanda data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.