Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Rwanda

Rwanda: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 11.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
11.0%
World rank
159th
of 179 countries
All-time high
11.0%
in 2020
All-time low
2.3%
in 1985
Years of data
9
1980–2020

Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Rwanda, 1980–2020

2468101980200020201980: 2.3 %1985: 2.3 %1990: 3 %1995: 7.1 %2000: 6.7 %2005: 8.6 %2010: 9.2 %2015: 9.4 %2020: 11 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of urban population who live in the largest city in Rwanda is 11.0%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.

That represents a change of up 19.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Rwanda peaked at 11.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.3%, in 1985.

That places Rwanda 159th out of 179 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 2.3% 2.3% 2.3% 2
1990s 5.1% 3.0% 7.1% 2
2000s 7.6% 6.7% 8.6% 2
2010s 9.3% 9.2% 9.4% 2
2020s 11.0% 11.0% 11.0% 1

Countries ranked near Rwanda

  1. 156 Yemen 11.8% compare
  2. 157 Brazil 11.4% compare
  3. 158 Niger 11.3% compare
  4. 160 Burundi 10.7% compare
  5. 161 Venezuela 10.4% compare
  6. 162 Switzerland 10.1% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More population data for Rwanda

All data for Rwanda →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Rwanda?
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Rwanda was 11.0% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Rwanda?
The highest recorded value was 11.0% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Rwanda?
The lowest recorded value was 2.3% in 1985.
How does Rwanda rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
Rwanda ranks 159th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Rwanda?
Over the last ten years it is up 19.9%. 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 minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Share of urban population who live in the largest city
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 2,452 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.