Share of population living in urbanized areas in Rwanda

Rwanda: Share of population living in urbanized areas was 25.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
25.7%
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
190th
of 202 countries
All-time high
25.7%
in 2025
All-time low
0.0%
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025

Share of population living in urbanized areas in Rwanda, 1000–2025

0102030100015122025

Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2025, share of population living in urbanized areas in Rwanda stood at 25.7%. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 22.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urbanized areas in Rwanda peaked at 25.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1000.

That places Rwanda 190th out of 202 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1100s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1200s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1300s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1400s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1500s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1600s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 1
1700s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 1
1710s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 1
1720s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 1
1730s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 1
1740s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1
1750s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1
1760s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1
1770s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1
1780s 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 1
1790s 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 1
1800s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 1
1810s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 1
1820s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 1
1830s 0.6% 0.6% 0.6% 1
1840s 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 1
1850s 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 1
1860s 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 1
1870s 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 1
1880s 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 1
1890s 1.0% 1.0% 1.0% 1
1900s 1.1% 1.1% 1.1% 1
1910s 1.2% 1.2% 1.2% 1
1920s 1.4% 1.4% 1.4% 1
1930s 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1
1940s 1.6% 1.6% 1.6% 1
1950s 2.0% 1.8% 2.3% 10
1960s 2.7% 2.4% 3.1% 10
1970s 3.9% 3.2% 4.7% 10
1980s 5.1% 4.7% 5.6% 10
1990s 8.0% 5.4% 12.2% 10
2000s 15.9% 13.5% 18.3% 10
2010s 20.8% 18.9% 22.8% 10
2020s 24.5% 23.2% 25.7% 6

Countries ranked near Rwanda

  1. 187 Cambodia 26.6% compare
  2. 188 Malawi 26.3% compare
  3. 189 Solomon Islands 26.1% compare
  4. 191 Nepal 25.5% compare
  5. 192 Niger 23.4% compare
  6. 193 Ethiopia 23.3% compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More population data for Rwanda

All data for Rwanda →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urbanized areas in Rwanda?
Share of population living in urbanized areas in Rwanda was 25.7% in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urbanized areas recorded in Rwanda?
The highest recorded value was 25.7% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of population living in urbanized areas recorded in Rwanda?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1000.
How does Rwanda rank for share of population living in urbanized areas?
Rwanda ranks 190th out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of population living in urbanized areas rising or falling in Rwanda?
Over the last ten years it is up 22.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Rwanda data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urbanized areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urbanized areas
Unit
%
Source
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 21,784 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Share of population living in urban areas in a country over time.