Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Rwanda

Rwanda: Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 was 30.9% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
30.9%
Change on year
up 3.4%
World rank
212th
of 238 countries
All-time high
30.9%
in 2025
All-time low
0.0%
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025

Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Rwanda, 1000–2025

0102030100015122025

Source: HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Rwanda recorded 30.9% for share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.

The figure is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 69.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Rwanda peaked at 30.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1000.

Rwanda ranks 212th of 238 countries on this measure, 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 2.2% 1.8% 2.5% 10
1960s 2.9% 2.6% 3.1% 10
1970s 4.0% 3.2% 4.8% 10
1980s 5.0% 4.8% 5.2% 10
1990s 8.9% 5.3% 14.7% 10
2000s 16.8% 15.8% 16.9% 10
2010s 18.7% 16.9% 23.0% 10
2020s 28.0% 24.5% 30.9% 6

Countries ranked near Rwanda

  1. 209 Uganda 31.9% compare
  2. 210 Saint Kitts and Nevis 31.9% compare
  3. 211 Solomon Islands 31.3% compare
  4. 213 Myanmar 30.6% compare
  5. 214 Guernsey 29.6% compare
  6. 215 Saint Lucia 29.1% compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More population data for Rwanda

All data for Rwanda →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Rwanda?
Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Rwanda was 30.9% in 2025, according to HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 recorded in Rwanda?
The highest recorded value was 30.9% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 recorded in Rwanda?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1000.
How does Rwanda rank for share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050?
Rwanda ranks 212th out of 238 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 rising or falling in Rwanda?
Over the last ten years it is up 69.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Rwanda data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050
Unit
%
Source
HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
239 places, 24,444 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the population living in urban areas, combining UN estimates with modelled historical data.