Rwanda population pyramid 2026
14,889,693 people in 2026 (projected). Rwanda’s pyramid still carries the mark of the 1994 genocide: a sharp step at age 50 and a shortage of men among people now over 45.
- 2026 population
- 14.9Mrank 77 of 237
- Median age
- 20.2 yearsoldest rank 198
- Fertility rate
- 3.54births per woman · above replacement
- Structure
- Youthful4.1% age 65+
Rwanda population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
Rwanda age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 36.7% of the population, while 4.1% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 59.2% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies Rwanda’s age structure as youthful; the guide to expansive population pyramids explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 68.9: about 69 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (62.0 children and 6.9 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes Rwanda’s population pyramid
The demographic trace of 1994
In the UN series, 1994 is the one year in which deaths in Rwanda exceeded births. That is the year of the genocide against the Tutsi, in which several hundred thousand people were killed in about a hundred days, followed by mass flight of refugees and, from 1996, large-scale returns. The movements in and out were so large that they largely cancel in the migration totals, but the losses remain visible in the age structure.
In the 2000 pyramid women outnumber men in every adult band, with about 84 men per 100 women at ages 25–29. By 2026 those cohorts are in their late forties and older, and the imbalance has followed them: there are about 80 men per 100 women at ages 50–54 and 79 at 60–64, compared with near parity under 25. The 2026 chart also shows an abrupt step between the 45–49 band (born about 1977–81) and the 50–54 band (born about 1972–76), which is roughly a third smaller. Rapid population growth makes each older cohort smaller in any case, but not by that much; the step coincides with cohorts who were young adults in 1994, though the chart alone cannot apportion the gap between violence, displacement and other causes.
Very high fertility, then a fast decline
For three decades Rwanda’s fertility stayed above eight children per woman, from 1950 to 1980. The rate has since fallen to about 3.5, and infant mortality dropped from about 107 per 1,000 births in 2000 to about 28 in 2023. Life expectancy rose from about 48 in 1990 to 68 in 2023.
The 2026 pyramid is still broad at the base, with each band below 25 larger than the one above, and an age profile close to those of Senegal and Sierra Leone. But the steps between the youngest bands are now small, a sign that the number of births is levelling off; the expansive pyramid guide shows the steeper shape Rwanda had in earlier decades.
Growth on limited land
With about 615 people per square kilometre, Rwanda is already one of the most densely settled countries in Africa. Because the large young cohorts are only now entering parenthood, the population keeps growing even as fertility falls, an effect explained in the population momentum guide. The UN medium scenario projects about 22.7 million people by 2050 and 32.8 million by 2100, with growth still continuing at the end of the century.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
No five-year band under age 80 is more than 10% larger or smaller than both of its neighbours, so Rwanda’s 2026 pyramid has a comparatively smooth profile without sharp bulges or notches.
Deaths exceeded births in 1994, but births outnumber deaths in 2026 and in every later year of the medium scenario. Children under 15 outnumber people aged 65 and older in every pyramid year through 2100.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, Rwanda is projected to record 409,278 births (about 1,121 births a day) and 86,679 deaths, a natural increase of 322,599. Net migration adds −7,003 people, ranking #133 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 8,907,043 births, 2,062,003 deaths, and cumulative net migration of −918,778. Over that period the balance of births and deaths moved the total more than migration did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of −275,873 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 70.6 years43.7 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 66.1 years42.7 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 14.1 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 24.6per 1,000 births · 139 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 33.1per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 30.6 yearssex ratio at birth 102.6
Women in Rwanda are projected to live 4.5 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 139 to 24.6 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #54 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 30.6 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for Rwanda
The median age of 20.2 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 3.54 births per woman is above the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 68.5 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 14,889,693 | #77 | Largest first |
| Median age | 20.2 years | #198 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 3.54 | #38 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | +2.1% | #37 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 68.5 years | #187 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 4.1% | #185 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in Rwanda
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0–4 | 1,931,888 | 13.0% | 975.6K / 956.3K |
| 2 | 5–9 | 1,829,042 | 12.3% | 921K / 908.1K |
| 3 | 10–14 | 1,702,942 | 11.4% | 853.1K / 849.8K |
| 4 | 15–19 | 1,592,305 | 10.7% | 795.8K / 796.5K |
| 5 | 20–24 | 1,488,774 | 10.0% | 736K / 752.8K |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, Rwanda has 7,273,737 males and 7,615,956 females. That is 95.5 males per 100 females, ranking #171 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 48.9% of the population and females for 51.1%. There are 342,219 more females than males overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 68.5 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 102.6 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, slightly below the typical value of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How Rwanda has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 2,157,096 in 1950 to 14,889,693 in 2026, a change of 590%. Over the same span, median age moved from 17.2 to 20.2 years.
The under-15 share changed from 42.9% to 36.7%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 2.8% to 4.1%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, Rwanda’s population is projected to grow by about 53%, reaching 22,707,910 in 2050. The median age changes from 20.2 to 25.8 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 2.1 percentage points to 6.2%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 29.4%. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The population is still rising at the end of the UN medium projection in 2100, when it reaches 32,779,346. The page therefore does not assign a peak year beyond the available horizon.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2,157,096 | 17.2 | 8.15 | 43.2 | 125,842 | 48,803 | +1,153 | +3.6% |
| 1960 | 3,022,294 | 14.4 | 8.28 | 47.0 | 159,818 | 59,193 | −13,198 | +2.9% |
| 1970 | 3,980,669 | 14.7 | 8.15 | 47.1 | 191,978 | 72,708 | +1,149 | +3.0% |
| 1980 | 5,353,259 | 15.4 | 8.12 | 48.1 | 282,034 | 97,044 | −16,359 | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 7,375,307 | 14.5 | 6.80 | 47.8 | 325,062 | 117,168 | −41,483 | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 8,213,930 | 15.2 | 5.97 | 47.8 | 345,904 | 124,627 | −153,588 | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 10,317,554 | 17.5 | 4.52 | 62.8 | 362,647 | 75,800 | −29,501 | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 13,065,837 | 18.9 | 3.91 | 67.0 | 392,254 | 79,562 | −22,251 | +2.2% |
| 2023 | 13,954,472 | 19.4 | 3.70 | 67.8 | 395,578 | 82,826 | −9,001 | +2.2% |
| 2024* | 14,256,567 | 19.7 | 3.64 | 68.0 | 400,062 | 84,038 | −15,582 | +2.1% |
| 2026* | 14,889,693 | 20.2 | 3.54 | 68.5 | 409,278 | 86,679 | −7,003 | +2.1% |
| 2030* | 16,154,705 | 21.2 | 3.33 | 69.3 | 423,412 | 92,527 | −16,597 | +1.9% |
| 2040* | 19,440,770 | 23.4 | 2.92 | 71.1 | 453,058 | 110,043 | +22,653 | +1.9% |
| 2050* | 22,707,910 | 25.8 | 2.61 | 72.8 | 460,069 | 132,495 | −31,768 | +1.3% |
| 2060* | 25,576,761 | 28.3 | 2.37 | 74.4 | 457,930 | 163,298 | −25,053 | +1.1% |
| 2070* | 28,138,805 | 30.9 | 2.20 | 75.9 | 455,779 | 200,120 | −14,381 | +0.9% |
| 2080* | 30,141,578 | 33.5 | 2.06 | 77.4 | 436,555 | 235,772 | −12,278 | +0.6% |
| 2090* | 31,781,409 | 35.9 | 1.96 | 78.9 | 420,337 | 273,500 | −45,470 | +0.3% |
| 2100* | 32,779,346 | 38.1 | 1.89 | 80.3 | 400,620 | 306,665 | −22,926 | +0.2% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 975,590 | 956,298 | 1,931,888 | 13.0% |
| 5–9 | 920,967 | 908,075 | 1,829,042 | 12.3% |
| 10–14 | 853,101 | 849,841 | 1,702,942 | 11.4% |
| 15–19 | 795,824 | 796,481 | 1,592,305 | 10.7% |
| 20–24 | 735,957 | 752,817 | 1,488,774 | 10.0% |
| 25–29 | 566,478 | 593,427 | 1,159,905 | 7.8% |
| 30–34 | 503,651 | 517,177 | 1,020,828 | 6.9% |
| 35–39 | 462,304 | 484,274 | 946,578 | 6.4% |
| 40–44 | 411,440 | 434,737 | 846,177 | 5.7% |
| 45–49 | 310,949 | 349,613 | 660,562 | 4.4% |
| 50–54 | 195,712 | 245,169 | 440,881 | 3.0% |
| 55–59 | 162,537 | 198,775 | 361,312 | 2.4% |
| 60–64 | 130,588 | 166,267 | 296,855 | 2.0% |
| 65–69 | 114,115 | 153,362 | 267,477 | 1.8% |
| 70–74 | 71,157 | 100,930 | 172,087 | 1.2% |
| 75–79 | 39,910 | 62,919 | 102,829 | 0.7% |
| 80–84 | 15,337 | 29,506 | 44,843 | 0.3% |
| 85–89 | 6,237 | 12,626 | 18,863 | 0.1% |
| 90–94 | 1,615 | 3,169 | 4,784 | 0.0% |
| 95–99 | 254 | 465 | 719 | 0.0% |
| 100+ | 15 | 28 | 43 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to Rwanda’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Sierra Leone98% overlap · median age 19.9
- Senegal98% overlap · median age 19.8
- Comoros97% overlap · median age 20.7
- Guinea-Bissau97% overlap · median age 19.6
- Pakistan97% overlap · median age 20.8
- Kenya97% overlap · median age 20.3
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for Rwanda.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). Rwanda Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/rwanda/
MLA
“Rwanda Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/rwanda/.
Chicago
World Population Pyramid. “Rwanda Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/rwanda/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Rwanda in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, Rwanda's population in 2026 is projected at 14,889,693.
What is the median age in Rwanda?
The projected median age in Rwanda in 2026 is 20.2 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in Rwanda?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 3.54 births per woman, above the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is Rwanda's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will grow by about 53%, from 14.9M to 22.7M.
What share of Rwanda is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 4.1% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 6.2%.
How many babies are born in Rwanda each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 409,278 births and 86,679 deaths in 2026, about 1,121 births a day. Births exceed deaths by 322,599.
What is life expectancy in Rwanda for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 70.6 years for women and 66.1 years for men, a gap of 4.5 years in favour of women.
Does Rwanda have more immigrants or emigrants?
Rwanda is projected to lose about 7,003 more people through emigration than it gains in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of −918,778.
What is the sex ratio in Rwanda?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 95.5 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.